


Precious

by Tayani



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: M/M, Possibly OOC, Shizaya AND Izuo in this fic, Thief/Detective AU, also, just in case it bothers anyone for some reason, not sure how this is going to end tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-02-19
Packaged: 2018-05-21 16:16:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6057850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tayani/pseuds/Tayani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shizuo meets Izaya by a complete chance; the fact that they went on a date afterwards, and that this date ended up in something more was a complete chance, too. But things complicate when the feelings are added into the mix... Especially since Izaya is a detective, and the blond he finds himself sleeping with turns out to be the very thief he's been hunting for some time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of Chance Meetings and Beautiful Strangers

Shizuo smiled charmingly at the girl in front of him. She was a petite, blushing creature, obviously new at her job as a shop attendant. She probably didn’t expect a tall, handsome client to pay attention to her, and when he did, she was too busy giggling and trying to straighten her clothing without him noticing to see something was amiss.

It was a nice, chilly day. Winter was coming, and coming fast, and the streets of Ikebukuro filled with coat-clad people, rushing with their everyday tasks in all directions. The air was crisp, but there was no snow yet, and the sun was shining brightly at the busy city, bringing smiles to faces and making even the most busy of its inhabitants stop for a few seconds and simply enjoy the gentle, warm touch on their cheeks.

Shizuo was in a jewellery store at the moment, looking at necklaces, rings and bracelets, supposedly for his dear, old mother. He smiled at the petite girl in front of him, quite enjoying the way she explained the value and meaning of every gem. It was obvious she liked her job, and even more so, liked the very handsome client who listened to her.

Finally, Shizuo nodded, and announced his pick. He took a little box from the shop attendant, and gave her a roll of money in exchange. Now, the yen banknotes he was paying with weren’t exactly the most legitimate ones...  But the girl by the counter was too delighted to notice, and given that Tom was _really_ good at what he was doing, her bosses won’t notice that, either. What she didn’t see and they _would_ notice, however, was that along with the beautiful ring hidden in the little box she just sold, a few of the store’s precious diamonds disappeared as well. This, however, will be found out many hours and many customers later… And even if she did remember the blond gentleman who stopped by in the morning, she will not point at him as a suspect.

Like many, many before her.

Ten minutes later Shizuo went out of the shop, wrapping his long, soft scarf around him neck. He grinned, playing with the diamonds in his pocket. It wasn't hard to get them; it was just an exercise, to keep his fingers busy. He would probably _lose_ most of them later, just to create some chaos and confuse any policemen who were on his trail. Shizuo smiled as he felt the rays of sunshine on his cheeks. Life was good today.... And the diamonds in his pocket will be nothing compared to what he will get this evening. The blond couldn't wait.

Shizuo Heiwajima was a thief.

 _The_ thief, to be exact.

Of course, there were no actual rankings, but considering the loot he has gathered over the years, as well as the fact he was still walking free and, what’s more, his face was unknown to the authorities, made him possibly a strong candidate for the best in his field.

It wasn’t something he boasted about, even to these few people who knew the truth. Shizuo didn’t want to become a thief, let alone the one the press so lyrically nicknamed the King of Thieves, mainly thanks to his specialisation in stealing precious gems. The path that led to him choosing this profession was bumpy and uneven, and most of it happened by chance anyway. It started from the moment his mother died, and the blond himself ended up on the streets of Tokyo, with no money, no relatives, and a little brother to take care of. They lived of what they could find, sleeping in a little vent by the underground station, because it was warm. Day after day, Shizuo would take little jobs for even less money, running all around the city with different tasks, getting beaten and yelled at simply because of the state of his clothes and the dirt on his cheeks. Day after day, he would return to their little hideout, bringing his little brother what food he could buy, along with pencils, with textbooks and notebooks, because Kasuka had to go to school, had to have nice, or at least clean clothes, had to shower and brush his teeth. Because he wanted his little brother to have a normal life.

With time, Shizuo would start going to better districts of the city, until finally, one day, he met a person that changed both his and his brother’s life. His name was Shishizaki, and he was a thief; and Shizuo owned everything to him. The fact that they were taken from the streets, given home and normal lives. At least, Kasuka was given a normal life. The blond was to remain in the grey world of the thieves, in between black and white of everyday life in Ikebukuro. Shishizaki taught him everything he knew, and Shizuo was a good student. When his mentor disappeared, he was able to continue as a thief; and after a few years, it was clear he has bested his teacher.

Shizuo got to his hotel room; he needed a change of clothes before work. His apartment was big and expensive; what was the point of being the best thief in Japan, or possibly even the world, if he couldn't get a bit of luxury now and then? And was it really that weird for Shizuo Heiwajima, an owner of distinct shares in a debt-collecting company known all over Tokyo, a brother of famous actor, Hanejima Yuuhei, to live in such a room from time to time? He thought not; and if any policeman ever decided to look into it, they would think not, too.

The blond looked into the mirror, grinning at the sight. He looked completely average; grey suit, grey coat, grey hat to cover his blond hair, blue sunglasses to hide his honey eyes, both from the shining sun and from any curious looks. Shizuo wrapped his favourite, soft, white scarf around his neck to complete the image and went out, heading towards the bank. If everything went well, he was going to spend tonight drinking champagne with the most beautiful, most rare ruby in the world on his bedside table. The blond seriously couldn't wait.

Shizuo walked quickly, his excitement making him not look where he was going. He turned around the corner and bumped into someone much smaller and more petite, making them fall down. The blond cursed, kneeling beside the slender figure of...

His eyes widened. He must have accidentally bumped into the most beautiful human being in Tokyo.

...

Izaya leaned back on his chair with a yawn. His crimson eyes wandered around the office that he had set up in his own home. He didn't really like being told what to do in some shared one, besides, as a private detective, there was no need for him to work at some stuffy, dirty police station. If the police needed him, they had to come to him, not the other way around.

Izaya Orihara was a detective. The best one in Japan, having solved many cases that left the combined forces of Tokyo’s finest gaping and hopeless. He could get information on someone faster than one could bat an eyelash. He was the top of the top, and was fully aware of the fact; which was, of course, why the case he was working on at the moment was driving him insane.

A week. He was on the case of the so-called King of Thieves for a week already, and…

Nothing.

He didn't know what the man looked like. He wasn’t able to find any pictures, no information on his looks, not to mention a name. Every single identity this person ever used turned out to be either someone completely different and unrelated, or simply led to nowhere. The sheer skill of evading Izaya like that… The raven couldn’t help but feel a dash of respect together with his frustration.

This thief… was _good._

Izaya slowly stood up, sighing slightly. He walked over to the couch and lifted a fur-trimmed coat from it, slipping it on and walking out of the apartment. Once he was on the sidewalk, he began to walk around aimlessly, wanting only to clear his head.

The city swirled and bustled all around him, countless people walking past the petite raven, rushing to their respective destinations. They were like blood, flowing through the arteries of the city in a never-ending stream of consciousness; of problems, dreams, little happinesses and bits of despair. Every one of them, submerged in their own, little world, every one of them thinking they were the ones that the universe revolved around.

Izaya knew they were wrong, but he never said so, guarding this knowledge like a precious, little secret. Because in the end… This was what made his little humans so fascinating.

Oh, how he loved to look at these faces, to guess their feelings and future, to play with their boring lives. He was never the one to mislead on purpose; he never lied, but sometimes kept quiet about certain truths. Pulling a string where it was needed, giving a gentle push on the back at the crossroads of lives, he was the one dancing on the rooftops of Ikebukuro, the one who watched over the crowd.

These times when he helped out the police in solving one case or the other were but a hobby to his actual, preferred profession; namely, being a god.

Though the job description hardly mentioned the eventuality of bumping into something hard and falling on the ground in a rather undignified manner. The raven let out a little yelp and cursed as he looked up, meaning to glare at whatever made him fall down like that.

...

The petite raven man that was at the moment laying on the sidewalk was absolutely enchanting. His skin was pale, delicate, his hair jet black, and his eyes... His eyes were crimson, and shining like finest rubies.

"I'm... I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention... Are you alright? Can you stand?" Shizuo's voice was all silk and molten gold. It wasn’t often he met someone  _ this _ attractive, and though he wasn’t usually the type to seek the company of others, or even to go to a bar from time to time and find someone to hook up with, he instantly decided he wouldn’t mind to see this particular man once more; maybe take him out for some dinner, or coffee at least. His hands gently supported the raven's back, helping him to stand.  

"No no, it's fine. I wasn't really watching where I was going. I apologize." 

Shizuo heard that, and he wasn’t buying it. The raven man didn’t look particularly angry, but he was annoyed; and the blond didn’t enjoy anyone being annoyed at him. Especially when said person seemed interesting. He was also quite certain that, given some time and patience, he could make the other’s displeased look turn into interested smile. Shizuo was quite good with making impressions. And it wasn’t often he met someone who interested him with his looks alone.

Now, there was a calculation he needed to make. He had to get to the bank before closing time. And he absolutely had to get this beautiful man to at least give him his number.

If things go well, he won't be drinking champagne alone tonight, after all.

"No, no, I insist." The blond took off his hat politely, giving the other man an elegant bow. "I was careless, and it was you who fell, in the end. Won't you let me pay for my mistakes somehow? A coffee… or dinner, perhaps? I know a very good sushi restaurant around here..."

As he had expected, his bold proposal was met with a surprise; the raven-haired stranger blinked a few times before tapping the point of his shoe on the ground. He seemed to hesitate, and slowly, curiousity took the place of annoyance in these crimson eyes.

“I do not usually go on dates with strangers, mister?” The raven raised an eyebrow.

“Why, I figured that much out.” Shizuo smiled charmingly. “Which is why I am not asking you out on a  _ date _ . I only ask of you to let me repay my rudeness and causing you to fall; and if a coffee and a nice chat is involved, that’s only better, is it not?” the thief all but purred the last sentence, and made a show of realising he should introduce himself finally. He shook the other man’s hand with a strong, trustworthy grip, smiling his best smile at him. "My name's Heiwajima Shizuo.” He gave the raven his real name. Shizuo used it rarely, and never during work, so he was quite sure this stranger knowing it won't cause any harm.

“Oh, is that so…” this time, the raven’s eyes shone playfully, and Shizuo congratulated himself. “In that case, it would be my pleasure to go for a coffee… or dinner… with you, mister Heiwajima. Ah, and my name is Orihara Izaya.”

Alright, now this was something he did  _ not _ expect. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to give this man his name after all.

"You're  _ the _ Orihara Izaya?" He said in an disbelieving voice, thinking an instant  _ oh shit _ to himself. "The detective? The one who helped to frame  _ both _ Yellow Scarves and Blue Squares at the same time?" 

Of course he knew who Orihara Izaya was. Not only the press covered the famous investigation, but Shizuo knew from his own sources that this man was not to be taken lightly. On the other hand... Why would Orihara Izaya bother himself with a thief like him? From what he knew, the famous detective bothered only with really big cases, such as gang wars or interesting, strange murders. Besides, it was the case of  _ if _ he realises who Shizuo is. And the blond wasn’t planning on that. 

“...it's such a pleasure to meet you! Even though I must say I have little to boast of to my own name, apart having a famous brother." Shizuo chuckled slightly, as if in embarrassment. 

The detective before him seemed quite amused by his words. 

"Ah, you seem quite familiar with my name… But I have heard yours before, too. The famous actor, Hanejima Yuuhei… Or, actually, Heiwajima Kasuka. I am right, am I not? You two look alike." 

"...impressive." Shizuo smiled at him, bowing his head softly. "Kasuka isn't exactly bragging about me... I must confess I am a bit of a black ship of the family. Nevertheless, I'm surprised you knew that." the blond really wasn't. He was impressed, yes... But not surprised. "Well then... Mister Orihara... or, in fact, I would love to be able to call you by your name, if you’ll allow me, and would like you to return the sentiment. If you'd meet me on Sunshine 60 Street, by the restaurant "Russia Sushi" in three hours, I'd be more than happy. Is the time alright with you?" Shizuo really hoped it was. He'll manage to go back to the hotel safely with the ruby in his pocket, and change before dinner with a detective... A very beautiful detective, at that. It sounded quite exciting, now that the shock wore off.

"Actually, that's a perfect time. I'm free, so yes. I'll be there." The raven stated. Shizuo couldn’t see that, but he was lying. He was on the case, and hardly had time for idiocy such as a surprise dinner with beautiful stranger… But, something in the blond made him agree. He could always use the excuse of needing to relax; gods knew he needed  _ that _ … "Well, see you until then." Izaya said quietly, bowing his head slightly in goodbye, taking advantage of the position to discreetly give the blond a one-over. To say he was pleased was an understatement.

"Until then..." Shizuo smiled at Izaya's look. He wasn't shy or self-conscious. He knew he looked good. If only Izaya had first seen him in his favourite, flattering white-and-black wear... But, he had to see him in work clothes. What a shame.

The blond exchanged last pleasantries with his newest date he met by such a chance, and watched him leave, sorting out all the data he gathered during this small meeting. He was insane. He just proposed a date to worse than a cop, worse than a detective; a gorgeous, beautiful, the best detective in whole Japan. And they set the time just after Shizuo will be done with his newest job. It’s possible he will be sitting in front of Izaya with the ruby in his pocket. 

Insanity.

Also, Vorona was going to kill him.

Shizuo smiled to himself, pushing his hand back in his pocket and playing with the few little diamonds there. He turned around and started walking in the direction of the bank, his lips still stretched, and a little smirk dancing on them, constantly hiding in one of the corners of his mouth. This… this excitement, this adrenaline he felt coursing through his body… The rush of the chase, the uncertainty whether he was the prey or predator, it was driving the blond crazy; and he loved every second of it.

_The game is on, detective_ , he thought. _And so, let me make the first move…_


	2. Of Rare Rubies and Surprise Dinners

The Bank of Tokyo rarely opened its gates for public. The big building made out of grey concrete and glass did not only look like a cage, but it was one. Though, it was meant more to keep people from getting  _ inside _ than to keep them from leaving. So when it did open its gates, it was a big thing, and an occasion for all to come and see how this institution worked from inside out; and of course, see some more interesting things, too.

It was the last day of paid, guided tours around the facility, which had their grand finale by a cabinet all made of thick, bulletproof glass, containing one of the rarest rubies in the world; the blue ruby, the Star of India. Prized for its rare colour and exquisite cut, this gem was quite possibly one of the most valuable of its kind. Not too big, the size of a pocket watch, it was burning with icy-blue fire from the centre, the colors transforming into purple and finally crimson red on the edges; it was beautifully sculpted into a shape of a sharp heptagram, laying on its pillow for everyone to see and gathering dust. 

If Shizuo had anything to say in this, he will stop the dust-gathering immediately.

He was checked for weapons and explosives at the entrance, of course. The guards were bored and settled for making him walk through the security gate and patting his pockets gently; the blond had to actually strain not to laugh. Not that they would find anything even if they looked, but... Searching for weapons? As if a gun could penetrate that glass. 

Diamonds, though...

The fact that he has stolen the diamonds from the hopeless girl at the jewelry store was a form of entertainment; Shizuo left these little gems in his hotel room while he was changing. But he did exchange them for other ones while he was at it; ones he had stored precisely for an occasion such as this. They were tools; a bit bigger, sharply cut diamonds designed to be able to pierce through the thickest material, if they had enough strength behind them. And so it was, Shizuo didn't complain about lacking strength. 

Possibly one of the chief causes why he was still walking free, and was not suspected by any of the authorities, was the simple fact that the blond thief possessed certain quality that was not only unknown to all beside him; it was also so unbelievable nobody even thought of suspecting something like this.

Shizuo was strong. Not the way one gets by training his muscles or taking special drugs. He was strong with raw, wild power that came from nowhere, that hurt his body so many times it shaped to its will. And as much as Shizuo hated this inhuman strength, he couldn't deny it helped him a great deal in his life as a thief.

Theoretically, if one could press the pointy end of a diamond to the bulletproof glass, and press at it with enough strength, the glass in question would break. It was a common knowledge. But, to achieve this kind of power, one would have to detonate some kind of powerful explosive, and detonations are loud and gather attention. Besides, you were checked for explosives at the entrance. Nobody ever thought there would come a man who was able to exchange the explosives for his own, sheer strength; and so, Shizuo was at an advantage.

It would be so easy to simply walk to the cabinet, break the glass and reach out for the ruby; however, that would be a bit too noticeable. Attention to his own person's doings was something the blond had to avoid at any cost; and so, Shizuo needed something to avert it.

He waited weeks for some pathetic amateurs to start seeking information on the ruby in question. Celty heard all kinds of rumours during her work as a black-market courier, and his friend was all too willing to share some of them with him. The blond knew when they will try to steal the ruby he was going to steal. He knew how they are going to do it. With guns and explosives, for goodness sake… Though the fact they actually managed to smuggle them into the bank was quite admirable.

So when Shizuo heard a shout of "Don't move, or I'll shoot!" and the panic in his group broke out, and the guide of the tour screamed and asked everybody to get on the floor, the blond held the sharp diamond in his palm to the cabinet and ducked on the floor, pressing hard at the glass at the same time. There was a second of simply nothing happening, and then the bullet-proof glass exploded under the sheer pressure of Shizuo's strength. Sharp bits of glass shooted in all directions, mainly straight into the attackers faces, and the beautiful ruby landed right in the blond's hands, before it disappeared in a special, untraceable pocket on the inner side of his coat a second later. With his blood pumping loudly in his ears, and the adrenaline surging through his body, Shizuo slowly relaxed on his place on the floor, surrounded by screams and confusion, and drops of blood.

It lasted a few minutes; then, the police officer helped him up, gave him tea and a blanket before asking if he knew the attackers. And of course we know you couldn't, sir, it was just a trip, of course, we're terribly sorry, it's just a procedure... Oh, you've got a date? Yes, it's understandable, but please, stay a second longer, it will take only a minute, why, we're very grateful for your time... Could you stand like this, we have to conduct a search... Of course, please don't worry about it, we just have to do this, and of course, you're clean, once again we apologise for the trouble. If you wish so, you can go, sir, here, let me write you a clearance...

Shizuo got out of the police-surrounded area steadily, faking wobbly, shock-induced steps. He wanted to laugh, but he'll save it for when he is back to the hotel. The blond dipped his hand in his pocket, tracing the faint, star-like shape under the layers of cloth. He grinned. 

Today was his win, again.

 

...

 

Izaya walked around his beloved city for some time after his sudden meeting with that stranger. He wanted to let the steady flow of humans rushing through the streets calm him, as it usually did, but instead, his thoughts seemed to be preoccupied with the handsome blond called Heiwajima Shizuo. 

The raven was a realist to the core. He didn't believe in things like a hunch, he hardly ever cared for what his instincts told him, preferring to analyse the situation he was in and decide the course of action based on solid proof. It was probably why at the moment he felt quite confused with his own mind, as it kept telling him there was something not quite right with the handsome blond he was going on a date; ah, excuse me, a  _ dinner _ ; with.

Since he was unable to relax anyway, Izaya sighed and returned home, sliding his fur-trimmed coat off and plopping down on the couch. After a second of staring at his cellphone, he dialed a certain number; even though he pretty much hated contacting  _ them _ ; and pressed the phone to his ear.

"Mairu." He said quietly, rolling his eyes at his little sister's high-pitched voice that immediately assaulted his hearing with questions, news and much too many exclamation marks. "Be quiet for a second, will you? I wanted to ask you something. That actor you and Kururi are crazy about... Yes, Hanejima Yuuhei. No, I won't organise a meeting with him for you. I only want some information on him... And his family."

Izaya was quiet for a very long while, listening to Mairu's chirping, before letting out a sigh and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Mairu, I am completely uninterested in Hanejima-san's eye colour. Look, can you just tell me about his family? He has some, right? Ah, brother? What was his name again... Wait, what do you mean nobody knows? Ah, I see... Privacy, huh. No, no, I understand. No, I'm not suspecting him of anything. No, you can't come over. Bye."

The raven hummed lightly, shutting his cell phone and staring at the ceiling. So Hanejima Yuuhei had a brother, just as he remembered. And quite possibly, this brother was tall, had beautiful face and blond hair. But that did not explain the hollow feeling in his gut. Izaya sighed, and rolled his eyes. Idiocy. Like he ever cared about things like that. Scared because his tummy felt weird? What was he, a child?

"Pull yourself together..." He murmured and stood up, walking to his desk. There was still time until their designated hour; he could just as well do some work.

 

...

 

Once back in the hotel, Shizuo took care of hiding the ruby, as well as few other souvenirs, so that nobody, absolutely nobody could find them. He went to sort out his things, cleaning the place up a bit, just in case he won’t be coming back alone, but stopped in the middle of his work; on the further notice, he'd better ask the cleaning lady to take care of it, and slip her few hundred yen extra for trouble. The blond already decided he would order the champagne once he gets back, and now wondered if he would need two glasses, or just one.

He took a long, relaxing shower, and dressed up in his best, favourite clothes, all black and white and clinging to his body in such a flattering way... That, topped with a light coat this time, and the same, white scarf... But no hat, and no glasses. He didn't need to hide his true face this time.

Nobody knew it either way.

He arrived to Ikebukuro early, and stood in front of the restaurant, waiting patiently. He certainly hoped he won't wait here for nothing. The day would be perfect if he managed to lure this sweet, delicate creature to his bed for the night, but he wasn't going to complain if he could at least eat a dinner with the raven detective.

The blond let a sly smirk play on his lips. He really hoped Izaya would come.

 

...

 

Izaya vaguely remembered resting his forehead on his desk for a short while, just as he started to once again go through what little information they had on the King of Thieves. What he did not remember was falling asleep; and so waking up with his neck hurting and his eyes assaulted by the sharp glow of his computer screen upon opening them was not a pleasant feeling. The raven blinked slowly at the shining numbers on the screen, that obviously tried to tell him the time. The numbers blinked back.

“Fuck!”

After what had to be the quickest change of clothes in his life, Izaya ran out of his apartment, cursing under his breath all the way to “Russia Sushi”. He might get there in time… If he tries really hard… Or at least get there being reasonably late. Fuck, he knew he wasn’t exactly sleeping properly these past few days, but…

As he was taking a sharp turn around the corner, his phone rang. The raven clacked his tongue in annoyance and took the phone out, still running. Namie. What the hell did she want? Well, whatever it was, it could wait, Izaya decided, turning his phone on mute. He had a date. His secretary could wait.

For the second time this day, the raven bumped into something as he was running, too concentrated on his phone to look where he was going. And for second time this day, this something turned out to be someone, and a certain blond, handsome someone, too. Although differently from their last collision, this time Shizuo’s strong hands caught him before he could fall, and helped him up, the handsome blond laughing softly once he seemed to have realised just who it was that bumped into him at full speed.

Izaya couldn’t help but blush, hiding his cell phone away and straightening his clothes up a bit, standing up on his own. "Ah… It’s my turn to be sorry. Both for running into you like that, and for making you wait." he huffed, trying to calm his breath.

Shizuo shook his head and a sincere smile broke out on his lips. Izaya decided he liked that smile. 

"No, I... I wasn't waiting very long." he said, despite his cheeks slowly turning pink from the chilly air. "And.... I'm happy you came. Even though I hope we’re not going to turn this way of meeting into a habit." The blond chuckled, and Izaya couldn’t help but join him. Shizuo gestured at the door, opening it for the raven. "Shall we?"

The restaurant they entered wasn’t maybe the biggest or most exclusive one, but it felt very pleasant, almost cozy. There were both seats by the counter and tables available, and there were few people inside, not making it too crowded. The restaurant itself had a strictly Japanese decor, though with a great deal of unnecessary trinkets, so that even if it weren’t for the fact that the chef behind the counter was so obviously Caucasian, it could never be considered an entirely traditional place.

All in all, Izaya decided he liked it there.

Shizuo seemed to know the place; he called the huge, black man beside the chef by his name, and a second later, they were seated by one of the best tables, with menus in hands. The blond was quiet until then, but as soon as they were seated, he smiled charmingly at the detective across from him and gestured lightly around.

“Acceptable?” he simply asked, that goddamn smile dancing on his lips. And it was goddamn, indeed, because Izaya could not tear his eyes from it.

The raven nodded simply again, looking back at his menu. However, as soon as Shizuo also seemed to concentrate on which kind of sushi to order, Izaya let his eyes come back to the blond’s silhouette, studying his features… And not only them.

The reason he did that was because he needed to look for anything suspicious on the blond, of course. Years of his work as a detective made Izaya wary of anyone who approached him in any way... He wanted to study every bit of Shizuo’s body, of his clothes that complimented that gorgeous figure so nicely, and find out all he could from that data alone. A good look was enough to tell what kind of life the blond was leading, what were his occupation and hobbies, sometimes even what were his thoughts. But possibly… Possibly a bit less intense look would suffice for that.

Am I checking him out..? Izaya would have slapped himself if not for Shizuo being here. 

Shizuo, however, was more than unfazed by the raven’s behaviour. True; he did notice that look, and true, he did flush lightly under these piercing, ruby-like eyes; but he was hardly alarmed by it. The blond already decided to be as sincere as he could; this guy's job was to look under the lies, so let's not give him anything to look under. Shizuo opted for smiling playfully, and raising his hands in surrender. 

"Please, Mr. Detective, let some of my secrets stay undiscovered... A minute more under this look, and I suspect you would be able to tell me everything I did today, and every day of my life..." the blond grinned, lowering his hands and having one last look at the menu. "I think I'll take a mix tray... What would you like?" he asked more casually, his eyes soft. 

As much as Shizuo was a thief, and a fraud, deep underneath he was a good person. He only stole jewels which belonged to big banks and corporations, put up for view and sale in chain jewelry stores. He never hurt anybody. And sometimes, he even gave back what he had stolen. Being a thief was simply something he was good at; something in which he could utilise his abnormal strength and good looks, and something, he felt, raised him out of the gutter. He didn’t want to lie to Izaya, or trick him. The blond simply was human... And right now, all he really wanted was to flirt with the gorgeous man before him, and maybe spend a night with him.

Izaya blinked softly at that and let out a chuckle. "Right, sorry about that… bad habit of mine." He answered in a much lighter manner than before, and looked at the menu again; not that he had to think really hard about what he was getting. “I would like the ootoro plate, please.” 

Shizuo nodded with the kind smile still on his lips and placed their order, setting the menu aside. Only now, with the blond looking straight at him, did Izaya notice the peculiar, beautiful colour of his eyes. They were like amber, like liquid honey; warm, sweet… beautiful.

The two of them had to get in a sort of a staring contest somehow, because before Izaya knew it, their sushi was being served, and the first piece of exquisite ootoro piece was melting on his tongue, making the raven purr in appreciation. Ah… This was perfect. A good restaurant, a handsome - although rather silent - companion, and this surprise-dinner… If only he could already close the case and relieve his mind from the irritating thief that kept evading him! Sometimes, especially at the otherwise perfect times like these, all Izaya wanted was to quit his job and start anew, without a care in the world. 

Shizuo looked at the raven from his meal every now and then, smiling at the careful, delighted manner he took every piece of ootoro in his fingers and ate. Though Izaya seemed lost in thoughts, and that unsettled him. The blond wasn't really used to people ignoring him when he took them for a date. Shizuo smiled softly and picked a piece of ootoro from his own tray, stuffing it in Izaya's mouth with a cheeky smirk. 

"I didn't mind you looking at me like this, at all..." he murmured with a playful glint in his eyes. "Though... I do find it unsettling that your thoughts seem to travel elsewhere." the blond moved back, happy he got Izaya's attention on himself. "To keep your mind on me then... Tell me, detective, I'm curious... What can you tell about me just from a look?"

The raven blinked for a moment as he chewed on the piece of ootoro when it was shoved into his mouth before swallowing it silently. He was more than surprised at Shizuo’s move and his words, but... He didn’t dislike the idea of showing off his skills a bit. And taking another good, long look at the blond didn’t sound too bad, either. 

"Hm..~" Izaya let a devilish, lazy smirk stretch his lips as he stared at the man before him, taking his sweet time with sweeping his eyes all over his figure. "Name: Heiwajima Shizuo, age: either twenty-four or twenty-five…” he started, eyes glinting with mirth. “You're about one-eighty-five centimeters tall, and weigh about one hundred pounds… You bleach your hair, which was dark-brown originally, but you are not purely Asian. You’re ambidextrous, and you take good care of your looks… You lead a quiet lifestyle, are quite rich, have someone who does the cleaning for you and, lastly, you are a bit of a sweet tooth."  The raven grinned, narrowing his eyes. "How did I do?"

Shizuo's mouth formed a perfect 'o'. He blinked at the raven.

"...wow." he managed to say, before closing his mouth simply because he looked stupid with his jaw on the floor. "...how did you..?”

“Oh, it was quite simple, really. I’m good at telling the height and weight of a person from a look… And about the rest… You have dark-brown roots growing back, though it’s hard to see at the first take, so the hair it is. The shape of your eyes and, most of all, their colour makes me bet someone from your family was as far from Asian as it gets. Your hands are evenly developed, which indicates ambidexterity; the way you behave and act, as well as the general state of your clothes and shoes indicates a quiet, peaceful lifestyle of someone with a lot of free time on their hands; the rich part is quite self-explanatory, and I deduced the cleaning from there; not many rich people clean themselves. And lastly, you being a sweet-tooth…” Izaya chuckled at that one. “You ate every last piece of your sweet egg-roll first, purring like a big cat. That made it quite obvious.”

The blond blushed. He had to blush; who wouldn’t, at a speech like this? “Wow. You’re right, of course. I love sweets, I live in a hotel with a cleaning lady taking care of my room, I don’t complain about lacking money and my mum’s parents were Americans, even though she was born in Japan. Jackpot, every single thing.” he shook his head, eyes shining with awe; and Izaya would lie if he said he didn’t feel a pleasant tingling down his spine at the praise. “Okay, my turn." Shizuo bit his lower lip, looking at the detective with a concentrated, intense gaze, surprising the raven once again.

A small, smug grin broke out on the blond's face after a while of staring. "Name: Orihara Izaya, you are about my age..." he started, resting his chin on his hand. "You are the best detective in town, if not Japan, if not the world; I'm not sure how the rankings are, but you are definitely close to the position either way. Also... You are possibly the most beautiful person I've ever met." Shizuo narrowed his eyes slightly, a little smirk stretching his lips. "And I deduce that from... Your hair, so black it could put the night itself to shame... And your skin, pale and delicate, like a porcelain. I bet you spend a lot of time in your office, for it to be so milky... And finally, your eyes, so crimson red, like the finest rubies, or drops of blood..." Shizuo's voice was a purr. "...did I get anything wrong, detective?" he whispered.

Izaya couldn't help but laugh as he covered his lips with his hand to stifle the giggles. "Well wasn’t that smooth." The raven finally calmed down, wiping his eyes with his sleeve; a wide smile still on his lips. "You're right on the age part, but I'm not so sure about the rest."

"Well then, about the rest... you'll just have to take my word for it.” Shizuo purred; and with that purr, the raven discovered it was possible to blush at the way someone looked at you alone.

Their dinner continued in a much more relaxed, flirtatious atmosphere; and for the first time that day, Izaya really felt himself simply let go and have fun. It was amusing; the way Shizuo talked, and talking with him, the way the blond somehow managed to slip him compliments at the most unexpected of times, obviously enjoying making Izaya blush… Sitting with this man he only met today, in a good restaurant, and chatting like old friends (with an extra dash of flirting to it) relaxed the raven immensely. By the time Shizuo paid their bill - he insisted on paying - and they went out of the restaurant, it was already getting dark.

“I enjoyed myself.” the blond said softly, looking down at the slightly smaller raven. Izaya smiled back at him.

“I did, too.”

“Perhaps…” Shizuo hesitated. He didn’t remember last time he had so much fun during something as simple as a dinner, and was seriously wondering if inviting Izaya over was worth the risk of spoiling such a perfect evening with the raven’s refusal; but then, what was the life without risk? 

“Perhaps… You wouldn’t like to come with me… to my hotel room, that is… For some champagne as a manner of dessert?” he asked quietly, looking intently at Izaya’s face. 

The raven was silent for a second, though obviously mostly because he enjoyed tormenting the blond with his silence. “You know…” he purred finally, eyes hooded and lips twisted in a little smirk. “...I always had a weakness for desserts like that…”


	3. Of Sweet Alcohol and Sour Strawberries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is 95% smut. Read at your own risk.

The city was alive and wide awake, despite the day being already at its end. With roaring engines, with lights, with the steady crowd of humans continuously walking its streets, Tokyo was ready to welcome yet another night, and carry its inhabitants to yet another morning.

It was no different in Shibuya, Shinjuku or Ikebukuro; the city was steadily exchanging its daily rhythm for the nightly one. As two silhouettes walked fast through the crowded streets, they witnessed this change, and were part of it.

Shizuo lead the way, setting up quite a demanding pace; and Izaya hardly minded, since both of them were obviously feeling hot despite the chilly air. It took them less than fifteen minutes to get to Shizuo's hotel; they walked in silence, both deep in their own thoughts. Before they knew it, they were already in the lobby, and the raven had no time to wonder about the sheer luxury he witnessed there; he was ushered into the elevator, and Shizuo went after him, pushing a shiny button for eleventh floor.

Izaya was actually a bit nervous. Why was he doing all this? He could have just refused, he could have left this man, and never cross paths with him again. It would be almost too easy to do so. But something about Shizuo lured him in, making him want the other. He felt incredibly hot and it wasn't just the fact of them sharing such a small space. It was the blond's presence itself that made Izaya so; and he could not fathom the reason why.

True, he had fun during the dinner. True, Shizuo was insanely handsome, and his obvious attraction to the raven, his showering him with compliments, his eyes that filled with awe and want whenever he looked at him; all that was more than pleasing for the rather narcissistic detective. But these reasons were not enough to explain just why on earth did Izaya agree to come with the blond for a _dessert_ in his room; and was himself so willing to devour every last bit of what Shizuo had to offer. Maybe it was simply the matter of him being hungry for this kind of human contact… How long has it been since he last was with someone? Too long, for sure.

The blond was asking himself these same questions. He was acting reckless, he was careless, and he knew it. He let the detective get to know him, he invited him in, and gods, he was going to devour the other male. Shizuo had no idea where this sudden want came from. It wasn't like he invited random people over to have sex on daily basis. He never did that, in fact. So why Izaya? Why did he, of all people, made the blond instantly invite him for dinner, made him want to flirt shamelessly and ask him over? It couldn't have been simply the case of the raven's ethereal beauty, could it?

But these questions could wait. He couldn't. Once they arrived on his floor, Shizuo opened the door and locked them the moment they were inside. He looked back at Izaya when he was done, his eyes burning with something unspoken.

"Well?" he whispered, reaching out a hesitant hand to softly brush Izaya's raven hair behind his ear. "Should I order the champagne I promised..?"

Izaya could tell that he might regret this later, but the moment he felt Shizuo's gentle touch, he stopped thinking. It was like a switch has been turned in his brain, and suddenly there were no more doubts, no more questions to be answered. The raven stared into these amber-like eyes, drowning in them completely, as he slowly pressed his own hand onto the blond's.

"...champagne… right…" he whispered, before moving a bit closer, pressing his lips to Shizuo's. It was unplanned, a kiss originating from the heat of the moment, rather sweet and clumsy; but with their lips joined and their breaths mixed for the first time, this sweet kiss turned out to be the last straw.

Their lips moved, their kiss deepened; suddenly, their hands found themselves roaming, tangling in the soft hair, tugging heatedly at their clothes. Shizuo's coat ended on the floor first, along with his scarf; Izaya, despite being smaller of the two, seemed to be more eager to move things further, setting up a demanding pace for Shizuo to keep up to.

Shoes has been discarded somewhere between their fervent kisses and Izaya's fingers twisted in Shizuo's shirt, tugging him further into the apartment, somehow managing to push the blond hard enough for him to fall on the bed; and what a sight he was, breathless from their kiss and sudden fall, hair disheveled, cheeks painted with rosy blush and eyes glazed over with pure lust.

Izaya smirked, nearing Shizuo with the grace of a feline. He let his coat slide slowly down his arms and fall to the ground as he climbed on the bed himself, straddling the other's waist. Shizuo wasn't just laying there, either; the moment the detective was in his reach again he smirked, gripping at Izaya's hair to tug his lips against his own in heated, wild kiss. The blond's hands wandered heatedly over the other's back, tugging at his shirt, dragging his fingernails down his spine and gripping these maddening, slender hips. He wanted Izaya. Oh, he will be damned for this, but he wanted him.

Somehow, Izaya's mind - or at least his hands - seemed to work despite his every last thought being occupied by the divine kiss, and his fingers started to unbutton Shizuo's crisp white shirt, revealing the toned body it hid. It was just a touch, Izaya couldn't exactly see, but the clear outline of muscles and the soft skin under his fingertips made him purr into their kiss. The raven rubbed gently at Shizuo's nipples, before letting his hands run lower, down the taut abdomen and the thin trail of pubic hair, to the front of the blond's pants that were quickly becoming too tight.

"Ah...! Well aren't you impatient..." Shizuo moaned out, thus breaking their kiss. As if Izaya's touch on his sensitive lower half was an invitation, the blond sat up and pulled the raven's shirt roughly off of him. He quickly turned them over, smoothing his hands down this beautiful, milky skin, letting his tongue slide harshly down the raven's neck and chest, stopping by to suck on his nipples, delighted by the soft, wanton sounds this pulled out of Izaya's swollen lips.

If only either of them stopped to think a little. They might've found it weird, how soon they became like this, melting in each other's heat, entangled without a care in the world. But it seemed they left their brains in the restaurant, and now the only thing guiding them was heated passion and desire to _feel_.

Izaya was so sensitive; gods, how _long_ has it been since he allowed himself to let go so completely, since someone was touching him like that? The blond's tongue and lips were burning on his body and he was left to let out sweet, quiet gasps and whines and arch his back, feeling such immense pleasure from the ministrations on his chest alone. The raven's hands gripped at the sheets underneath him, twisting the soft material. This was intoxicating, wonderful… But he wanted more.

"God, you feel so good..." Shizuo whispered, or tried to; it came out of his mouth more like a moan than a whisper. He was feeling it, too; his hands moved down to Izaya's pants, unbuckling his belt fast, sliding his jeans off along with his boxers. The blond didn't waste time; he gave the raven one more, breathtaking kiss before moving down and taking him into his mouth. Shizuo didn't know why he was so fast, so impatient. They had all the time they wanted, but somehow it felt as if they had to hurry...

"S...S-Shizu..." Ah, Izaya's shuddering voice and the way couldn't say the blond's full name felt gratifying… The raven was obviously too wrapped up in the pleasure to care about how he sounded, as he trembled in ecstasy and lightly bucked his hips in time with Shizuo's sucks. Izaya felt as he was about to come at this very second, but he tried to control himself from doing so. The blond was so skilled with using his mouth… Too skilled, one could say.

Shizuo hummed around the other's length, sending vibrations up the raven's body. He looked up at the detective and their eyes met; the honey eyes were filled with want, pupils blown from all the pleasure while Izaya's crimson one's mirrored the look, some wild heat burning deep inside them. Shizuo took the cue from this look and stilled Izaya's hips, moving down, taking him whole in his mouth; he sucked hard, trying his best not to gag, before releasing the other and going down again.

Now, to set things clear, Shizuo hated giving head. It felt disgusting, wrong. But right now...

Right now he loved it. He loved every tremble and every moan that came out of Izaya from what he did. He loved the detective's taste, his helpless bucks, he loved it all.

It didn't take long for the raven to come into his mouth, his back arched almost to the point of it being painful. Izaya was planning to warn the blond before it happened, he really did, but he couldn't help it, Shizuo has rendered him speechless and effectively turned his brain into a useless much. Izaya's chest heaved up and down quickly while he struggled to catch his breath; panting heavily.

If Shizuo knew Izaya didn't want to finish so fast, he didn't care; for now, the blond simply waited for the raven to calm down. He swallowed before he could think, and instantly looked at Izaya, face flushed red. The blond wondered if the raven would think him disgusting now. Why did he do it? What was wrong with him? But Shizuo could hardly help it; Izaya tasted delicious...

The raven indeed didn't seem like he was expecting Shizuo to go this far; he stared at the blond for a second before looking away with a blush, arm draped over his eyes. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he wondered; should they just stop now? Ah, but he couldn't...and he didn't want to.

"W-Well..you're skillful..." Izaya murmured with a little, satisfied smile stretching his lips. Shizuo didn't answer at first, though. As the raven raised his arm and looked at him, the blond stood up, moving his hands slowly to unbuckle his belt and sliding his pants and boxers down, until he was completely naked as well. All the while he looked at the raven before him, his burning eyes sweeping over Izaya's flushed body, his blushing face, his spent lower half. Shizuo made himself promise that if Izaya will tell him to stop, he will… Even though he knew it was going to be hard.

The blond slowly climbed on top of the raven again, hovering over him on all fours. He leaned down, licking softly at the tip of the other's ear. "...is that how you're going to excuse yourself for being so... hm... quick?" he teased, nipping at the soft skin behind Izaya's ear, causing the raven to grip at the sheets once more, looking away from the blond.

"Oh...be quiet..." He murmured, face growing hot as Shizuo chuckled softly, brushing Izaya's hair away from his eyes in a soft gesture that surprised even himself. His body leaned down, seemingly on its own, covering Izaya's figure, brushing their skin together.

"It's fine… Flattering, even..." he murmured just as softly, stroking the other's jet black hair. "I loved our little moment quite a bit… As I loved every single sound you made."

"That's because you're not the one making those sounds..." Izaya faked a glare in Shizuo's direction, even though he melted into the other's gentle touch. Ah… This was nice, this little moment to cool down. And as much as Izaya haven't been with anyone for a long while, he had enough partners to appreciate giving him a break, and making it enjoyable.

Shizuo seemed to understand, as he smiled softly, fondly down at the other, before closing his eyes. Their lips met, but the kiss they shared this time was completely different from all the others. It was soft, delicate, sweet... It was loving, causing Izaya to slowly wrap his arms around the other's neck, quite happy to kiss back. When this sweet moment ended, the raven sighed contentedly and looked at the blond with hooded eyes, before letting his gaze wander lazily around the room.

It was big, the kind of a room that is so without appearing unnecessarily spacious. The bed that they were laying on was set in a little bedroom, but it was in no way separated from the rest of the apartment. The living space looked cozy as well, with bits of luxury thrown here and there, with reason enough for it not to feel flashy. It was that kind of room one could live their everyday life… For quite a big price.

Shizuo was apparently oblivious to Izaya's thoughts, and his sudden interest in his room. After waiting a while longer, he pulled himself closer against the raven and kissing him again, with a kiss that was becoming more and more heated. Soon, the blond deemed them ready to continue, pressing Izaya's hips against his own, and moaning from the feeling. He felt amazing... It was better than the thrill of stealing, better than the feeling of looking over the latest loot. Shizuo felt as if he were flying, and better; with Izaya's heat so close to his own, he felt invincible... And he wanted more. And the raven seemed to share the sentiment… The way he arched into the touch, the _feeling_ of them touching, it was enough to make him up for another round…

...if not for that damn curiosity that suddenly took hold of him.

"...hey… how much was this room...?" Izaya asked with a tilt of his head. He must of looked and sounded stupid, because he felt like it.

Shizuo looked at him incredulously for a second before rolling off of the raven and onto his back, laughing so hard he had to grip at his sides to contain himself somehow. "Of all the things..." he wheezed, as his giggles became softer. "...you could ask... during sex..." Shizuo was taken down by another wave of giggles. "Seriously." he breathed out, wiping out tears from his eye's corner.

Well, now he had a problem. He paid for the room with real money, of course - there was no reason to rob the people who worked there - but the money itself was the pay he got from selling some stolen goods. Somehow telling this to the detective didn't seem like a good idea, but then again, Izaya wasn't asking how he got the money, was he? "It is quite expensive." he admitted, resting his chin on the other's chest. . "But it's not like I can't afford it. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, I was just curious..." Izaya shook his head, a little blush coming back on his cheeks. It really was a stupid question, and he couldn't understand why it interested him so. Oh, well…

"Mhm." Shizuo rolled his eyes, leaning back down to kiss the raven's maddening lips. Whatever Izaya was thinking about, he wanted to stop him from doing so. And what was better to occupy the raven's thoughts than a kiss, and Shizuo's hands, sliding down his slender body?

"Well then... Where were we?" the blond purred.

"In the middle of one hell of a kiss..." Izaya answered with a purr of his own, licking playfully at Shizuo's lower lip. It was a distraction from his thoughts… And he did not mind being distracted that way, not one bit. The raven's answer and his actions made the blond grin, his hands moving slowly, sensually over the raven's milky skin, caressing Izaya's sides. He could honestly spend forever like this.

"Has anyone ever told you, what a perfectly sexy creature you are?" Shizuo smiled as Izaya let out an appreciative gasp at his touch.

"Hm… Not many people, not at all… You're actually the first one to compliment me like that..." the raven's voice was playful, sweet, as he nibbled his way down from the blond's lips, to his chin and finally neck, licking and nipping gently at the soft skin, making Shizuo tilt his head slightly, baring his throat for the detective to explore.

"Now... That's just outrageous... I absolutely have to make it up to you then." he smirked, before moving his head down to steal Izaya's lips in a long kiss. The blond's hands moved; one palming the other's quickly hardening erection, while the other ran to Izaya's back, pulling him close against Shizuo's heated body, making the raven moan quietly.

"From what should I start, complimenting you?" Shizuo purred, moving their hips against each other, and letting out a hiss as their erections met. The blond slid his hands down, gripping Izaya's backside to guide their movements. "I can't-ah! decide... You're all so beautiful, I just want to... ah~ I just want to devour all of you with kisses... Your skin, so soft... How is it humanly possible for it to feel so good against my own? I'm almost scared I'll hurt you... It's so delicate..." Shizuo's purr turned into heated, breathless whispers as their hips rocked together in a rhythm. The blond hid his face in Izaya's shoulder, moaning softly from the feeling. His eyes opened, the sounds escaping from his lips quite shocking for Shizuo himself. "...what did you do to me, Izaya?" he moaned helplessly. "I want you so much right now... I want, all of you..." his hands slid a bit down, gently spreading the raven's cheeks. Shizuo's finger slowly circled Izaya's entrance, waiting for the detective's reaction. The blond wasn't sure what he was doing anymore. He was clearly breaking every rule he had set for himself long ago. But Izaya was on him, flush against his chest, and Shizuo honestly didn't care anymore.

"Smooth-talker..." He whispered, though from the voice alone and the way his body reacted, arching and trembling under Shizuo's touch, it was obvious how much the blond's words affected him. Mostly because; well; Izaya could _feel_ Shizuo was being honest. And that… That made him want to give himself up… completely. "...go ahead." he whispered, as an answer for the unspoken question.

Shizuo kissed him deeply once more, a bit gentler, before moving away. He made the raven get on all fours and slipped out from under him, reaching to the bedside table and taking out a little bottle of lube from it. The blond moved behind Izaya, covering his smaller body with his own, so they were back against chest, and massaged the raven's entrance, pushing his lubed finger inside while biting down on the tip of detective's ear.

"Relax… I promise, I'll be careful." he whispered. Izaya only trembled under his touch, his back arching slightly. His breath quickened as soon as the other's finger went inside of him; it was a foreign feeling, one he hadn't felt in too long.

"Does it hurt?" Shizuo's voice was quiet, soft, as his finger started to move slowly inside of the raven. The blond's other hand reached down, palming Izaya's erection. He rubbed it steadily, in time with his finger's moves, trying to get the other to be calm, to feel only pleasure.

"A-Ah… n-no… it's fine..." Izaya whispered in response, feeling it move inside of him. In all truth, it was uncomfortable, but the raven knew it was going to feel better, much better, and soon, and he was willing to deal with the slight pain for what was about to come.

Shizuo, however, didn't seem to believe him, as his moves only slowed down, if it was even possible. He gently worked his way inside of the raven, massaging him, relaxing the muscles, making all the eventual pain melt into pleasure. He leaned in, kissing Izaya's shoulders and leaving little licks down the side of his neck, whispering sweet, comforting words. "Oh god, it feels so good... You feel so good around me, Izaya... And how beautiful you look, trembling and flushed like this… You have no idea." his words were a purr, a seducing, sweet tune as the blond moved a bit faster, working to prepare the raven. Soon, he felt Izaya relax around him, and he smiled against the other's skin. "You loosen up beautifully..." he whispered, slipping another finger in, careful not to cause the raven any pain or discomfort. Shizuo was a patient man. It was kind of in his job description. He wouldn't mind spending a whole night preparing Izaya if that would mean the detective will enjoy their activities. In the end, it was no fun if he was the only one feeling good.

"S-Shizuo..." the raven's moan of his name was unexpected, but affecting the blond in quite a delicious way.

"This sounded good... I like you saying my name like this..." Shizuo smirked, nipping with his lips at Izaya's flushed skin. His fingers, upon feeling almost no tension, scissored inside of the raven, stretching him for what was about to come. "Izaya..." the blond moaned his name out, licking and sucking at the maddening detective. He didn't understand how his skin could taste so good, so sweet... Shizuo really just wanted to devour him whole… and Izaya wanted the other to. Badly.

"S-Shizuo..! P-Please.." The raven whispered while struggling to stay up on his knees and hands, trembling even more now. He felt so hot, with Shizuo's goddamn lips and tongue, and his devilish fingers working him so skillfully, it was almost too much...

"I don't want to hurt you..." Shizuo said that, though he trembled from want, feeling as if he was going to burst anytime now. It took all of his strong will, but instead of pulling his fingers out and taking the maddening raven finally, he pushed another finger in, stretching him good, making sure Izaya was sufficiently prepared. His other hand supported detective's waist from below, helping him keep his balance. All that care, all that thoughtfulness, however, did not amuse the raven, as Izaya groaned, getting impatient.

"I-It's going to hurt either way.." He whispered as he closed his eyes.

"What do you know... Ah!" Shizuo couldn't believe he was getting off on fingering the raven. "...it shouldn't hurt if I do it right..." he said in a slight whine, before pulling his fingers out. He moved slightly back, lubing his erection well, before pressing the tip against Izaya's entrance. "Izaya..." he moaned, pushing steadily inside, slow and careful not to cause any pain. He was successful, it seemed; Izaya jolted and he literally clawed at the sheets, but his voice lacked any traces of pain; instead, it was dripping with lust and unspeakable pleasure.

"S-Shizuo!" He cried out, trembling under the blond. Shizuo stilled, gripping at his hips with a loud groan.

"...oh my god..." he managed to rasp out, trying his hardest not to move, and trying even harder not to come on the spot. Shizuo's body shook with jolts of pleasure; he didn't remember feeling this good, ever. "I-Izaya..." he whined, and the raven sucked in a sharp breath before nodding.

"M-Move..." He mumbled, his breath coming out in little moans at the heat that was stretching him, filling him to the brim. Oh god.. Oh god, this had no right to feel this good...

Why, despite all the evidence, Shizuo felt somehow that the raven below him wasn't feeling as good as he was, was a mystery; still, he got it into his head to somehow make it up for the beautiful detective. "I'm sorry..." he whispered, kissing his way up Izaya's spine, feeling the muscles relax under his gentle touch. He started to move, very slowly, steadily, not sliding completely out before he thrusted in again. It was more like a proper love-making than just having sex, and Shizuo made very, very sure Izaya felt it as well. His hands massaged the detective's skin, wanting their bodies to melt into one. It didn't take long for the the pleasure-drunk raven to realise what Shizuo was doing, and as much as Izaya _loved_ each of the slow thrusts, he needed more.

"S-Shizuo..f-faster… It doesn't hurt..." He whispered breathlessly, pushing his hips back to meet the other.

"Izaya... Oh god, Izaya..." Shizuo moaned, starting to move faster, unable to stop himself even if the raven asked him to. Thankfully, he only proceeded to ask for more, and in such a sweet voice the blond almost moaned from it alone. He straightened up, gripping back at Izaya's hips to get a better position, starting to move fast and hard inside the detective, guiding his hips back to meet his every thrust. They could hear the bed start to creak beneath them; their moans began to fill the room.

"S-Shizu..." Izaya moaned out; a purr emitting from the back of his throat. Shizuo somehow managed to fit a breathless chuckle between his moans.

"You sounds so sexy..." he pushed Izaya down, so the raven no longer stood on all fours, but instead laid flat on the bed. The blond's hips moved at a rapid pace, reaching deeper than before, properly hammering the detective into the mattress. Shizuo hands slid under Izaya, rubbing his erection roughly in time with his powerful thrusts, his other hand gripping at the raven's hair, tugging at them from time to time. The blond himself leaned down, lips fast against Izaya's neck, sucking and kissing to his heart's content. Suddenly, Shizuo rolled his hips in a certain way, reaching just the right spot inside Izaya, making him cry out, and bit down on the raven's milky, unmarred skin to double the effect. Shizuo felt as if he was drunk; their moans mixing together, the slapping of skin echoing through the room, it was like a drug to him.

"A-Ah!~" the raven moaned out, trying to keep himself from screaming. Izaya was close, he knew it, and as much as he wanted to last longer, all he could do was to bite down on the sheets before closing his eyes - letting out a muffled scream when he came. Shizuo felt the raven tightening around him, and the blond let out a loud moan, thrusting even harder and faster than before. It took him few more minutes before he came as well, pulling out quickly before doing so, but not as quickly as to avoid dirtying Izaya completely. Shizuo shuddered, falling down at the detective, his breathing heavy.

They were silent for a while, their bodies close and sticky with sweat and other, less socially acceptable fluids. Only strained, heavy breaths broke the silence, as the very air in the room seemed to engulf them both with its blanket, relaxing their tired, satisfied selves.

"...wow." Shizuo laughed breathlessly, after regaining his breath enough to be able to talk. The blond slowly rolled off the detective, laying down on his side, his front to Izaya. They were still very close, and Shizuo let his hand slide up the raven's slim body, stopping at the distinct mark, already appearing on the back of his neck. "...sorry about that." he murmured with a smile that said he wasn't sorry at all, and receiving a similar smile back. Shizuo leaned in, kissing Izaya's lips gently, pulling him close once again. He just couldn't get enough of this raven-haired angel he made his own just now. Once they broke their kiss, Shizuo brushed the raven locks out of Izaya's face, looking at him as if the detective was the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. "That was amazing." he said softly, fingers still wandering over the other's features.

"It was…" Izaya whispered back with a little, soft smile dancing on his lips; it was a rare smile, one that would be just as new to any of the raven's acquaintances as it was to the blond, and it was enough to steal Shizuo's breath away. Izaya relaxed, melting against the other's chest, a small, contented sigh escaping his thin lips. The blond only smiled, pulling the raven close against his chest, feeling strange warmth enveloping his heart.

"I'm honoured you think so..." he whispered with a little smirk, kissing Izaya's head softly. "Hey, um..." _Would you like to do it again sometime? Hell, do you wanna go out?_ Somehow, these words couldn't get past his throat. Instead, Shizuo smiled his best, bad-boy smile. "Let's finally order that champagne."

He reached his hand out for a phone on the bedside table, and after as much as few seconds, finished the brief talk, being assured that the champagne - well aged, well chilled and with a bowl of finest strawberries to accompany the taste - would arrive to his room immediately.

Izaya watched the blond with a little smile still present, curled up by his chest. Well… He won't be able to drink champagne like that, will he?

"Alright… time to move..." the raven muttered and slowly sat up - flinching from his rather stiff backside he felt. "...on second thought...carry me.." He smirked and reached his arms out to the blond like a child. "I'm sore, and it's your fault, mister Heiwajima… Take responsibility..." Shizuo laughed, and it wasn't long before Izaya accompanied him.

"I don't mind carrying you around, princess, though there's no need for us to go anywhere." the blond chuckled again, pulling white, soft covers around Izaya, seating him up comfortably against the pillows. Shizuo himself only reached out for a dressing-gown and put it on himself, as he was going to have to answer the door. He laid beside Izaya, resting his head on the raven's chest and bringing his hand to his lips. "Yet... I agree that you earned a little spoiling... So let's stay in bed... All night long... And I'm going to pour you champagne and feed you strawberries until you'll melt against me. Sounds like a plan?" The blond chuckled, kissing at Izaya's pale chest.

"Hm… That sounds like _quite_ a plan..." Izaya snickered. Shizuo was in his flirtatious mood again; not that he minded being treated like that by such a handsome - not to mention, skilled in bed - man. "And I agree to its every letter, prince." Izaya stuck his tongue out at the blond with a slight smirk playing on his lips. Shizuo smirked back, before leaning in and catching the raven's tongue with his own, turning the mocking into a kiss.

"Keep sticking your tongue out like that, and I just might find a better job for it..." he purred, before winking. There was a discreet knock on the door, and Shizuo reached over for his coat, pulling out a wallet. He took out a couple of banknotes, all of small value, and moved to the door. His favourite maid stood there, with a little handcart. A bucket of ice with a bottle laid on it, as well as a decent bowl of beautiful, red strawberries. There were also two elegant, tall glasses for champagne. Shizuo smiled charmingly at the woman and took the tray from the cart, exchanging it discreetly for money. She seemed very happy as he closed the door with his feet, carrying the tray to the bed and setting it carefully beside Izaya before resuming his position beside the raven. Izaya let himself laze around through the whole ordeal, turning over onto his side only now, that the blond was close.

"Well... Extremely fancy." the raven smiled softly.

"Hm... I guess so. I find myself extremely fond of these tiny bits of luxury. Like a good hotel, nice room, champagne. It doesn't cost that much, but you feel so... Content over these little things. Do you not like it?"

"I never said I don't like it." Izaya purred, running his hand gently over the blond's chest. Shizuo chuckled, taking a strawberry and plopping it into his mouth. He instantly grimaced at the taste, spoiling the effect a bit.

"Ah, that's sour..." the blond looked at the bowl with a little frown before shrugging. "I hope you don't mind sour strawberries." he smiled up at the raven apologetically. Izaya's face, however, lit up at the notion.

"I actually don't mind. I don't really enjoy sweets, so sour strawberries are quite perfect." the raven chuckled lightly.

"Well then, my beautiful creature, it's something just for us... Sweet alcohol and sour strawberries." Shizuo smiled softly, kissing Izaya to let him feel the taste. He then sat up beside the raven, taking the bottle of champagne and opening it with a distinct pop, and pouring the bubbly liquid to their glasses. He handed one to Izaya, raising his own in a little toast. "To meetings by chance, and beautiful strangers."

Izaya raised his glass as well and repeated the toast, clinking his glass with Shizuo's and taking a small sip. Shizuo laid back on the covers, playing with Izaya's raven hair while sipping his own champagne. The alcohol felt pleasant in their weary bodies, the bubbles going straight to their heads.

"Hey... My beautiful creature..." the blond said after a while, finishing his drink. "Say, would you like... Maybe, if you had time... Would you like to go on a date with me sometime?" the last sentence was spoken on one breath, and Shizuo almost slapped himself. What is Izaya wanted it to remain a one-night stand? He would ruin a perfectly fine evening...

Thankfully, before the raven could answer, there was a loud buzzing from the floor. Shizuo leaned over and saw it was coming from Izaya's jacket's pocket. He smiled at the raven, reaching for the clothing. "Don't stand up, I'll get it." he said softly, and because he was in a playful, champagne-induced mood, Shizuo picked the phone up without even looking who's calling. "Hello. You have reached a life-semi-automatic secretary of Orihara Izaya. Please, leave a message after the signal." Shizuo winked at Izaya, who was watching him with half-amused, and half-terrified expression, and made a beeping sound. Three seconds later, he had to take the phone away from his ear, as the person from the other side apparently wasn't in the mood. "Ugh. You better pick that." he said, finally giving Izaya the phone.

Izaya had to stiffle a laugh before grabbing the phone, placing the glass down as he pressed the receiver to his ear.

"Ye-Namie? What? Oi, calm down." Izaya slowly sat up, his expression instantly turning serious. "Wait..what? So what I put it on silent, can't you go one evening without m- What?" The raven bit his lower lip while slowly unwrapping himself from the blankets and slipping off of the bed. To Shizuo's dismay, he started to get dressed while listening to the woman on the phone. "What the hell do you mean someone stole it! We were supposed to- No, don't even start. This ruby was the perfect bait, and they just blew it." Shizuo froze when he heard Izaya speak about a ruby. The blond gulped, happy Izaya couldn't see his face. The blond felt as if he was falling. Because the man he felt himself impossibly drawn to, the man he wanted with passions strong and fiery, this man was not only a detective. He was hunting him.

As quickly as it came, the expression was gone from Shizuo's face. Since when does he worry about anything? He'll manage somehow.

"No, if anyone's to blame, it's them. No, we're not talking now. I'll meet you at my place in half an hour." The detective hung up and began to button up his jeans before moving to his shirt.

"You have to go...?" Shizuo asked in a soft voice, standing up as well and nearing the raven. His hands covered the detective's, buttoning up his shirt for him while Shizuo's lips wandered up and down Izaya's neck. "Hm... When can I see you again?" he asked, not moving away from the raven even when the other was already fully dressed. Izaya nodded, letting himself lean against the blond for a second longer.

"Sadly, I do. About our next meeting… You were talking something about a date?" he snickered lightly, leaning his head a bit to the side, so that Shizuo could kiss him a bit more. "I don't know about few next days... I'm probably going to have a lot of work. But someday, I'd like to go on a date with you."

"I'm staying here for a whole week, for sure. During this time, I'm more or less free." Shizuo couldn't help but smile at Izaya's behaviour, even though he would prefer not to let him go. He was adorable. "Say... I couldn't help but overhear... Was this phone call about the blue ruby that was stolen today?"

This was risky, since he shouldn't know about such things, but at the same time, it wasn't, since Shizuo had a good alibi. Izaya would find out he was at the bank during that time, sooner or later. Better clear himself of any suspicions and tell the raven about it himself; even if this decision left a sour taste in his mouth.

"That's classified, but hell, yes it was. Why do you know about it?" The raven nodded, before shifting his body slightly to press his lips to the blond's cheek; despite the sweet kiss, he was listening intently.

"Ah~ Then better prepare to... interrogate... me properly." Shizuo smiled cheekily, kissing the raven on the lips. "I was there when it was stolen. Now, you better go on." the blond's smile softened, as he kissed the raven once more, a goodbye. "Thank you for everything... This was possibly the best evening of my life."

He blinked for a moment. "You know, if that's the truth, I'll need to ask you some questions, just.." he looked at his watch and sighed. "...another time." the raven smiled again. "...and thank you, too."

There wasn't anything else they could say or do. Shizuo watched Izaya gather his coat and slip it on, leaving his room; he hated himself for it, but the blond couldn't help but laugh at the irony, that the detective was leaving him now, to chase after the _King of Thieves_ …

...whom he had already caught.


	4. Of Stolen Numbers and Misused Handcuffs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is like, 45% smut. Read at your own risk.

Izaya stared at the ceiling. He was laying on his couch again; his spacious, modern apartment covered in random sheets of paper laying everywhere, along with few opened laptops and phones strewn here and there. The TV was on; a blurry film of terrible quality was playing there on a loop. It showed few, random people coming into a brightly lit room. They seemed to surround a little cabinet in the middle of it; suddenly, there was some kind of distress, everyone ducked to the floor, three other people neared the cabinet... And started screaming, as said cabinet exploded in their faces. Few minutes of panic more, and the police came, helping the fallen people stand up and gradually bringing back order.

Izaya sighed. Nothing.

The raven rubbed his eyes, suspecting just what amazing dark circles he had under them. He was awake for about 48 hours now; and as much as he couldn't bring himself to regret the amazing night he spent with Shizuo, some part of him wished he had gotten some sleep instead.

Nothing. He haven't felt so useless in his entire life.

The three wannabe robbers were a decoy so obvious he actually wondered if they weren't a double bluff. Izaya spent better part of last day asking them questions, just in case, but either they were _amazing_ actors, all three of them, or genuine idiots. They found out about the ruby and wanted to steal it. They didn't know where to sell it later or what to do with it in general. They were young, violent and very, very stupid. The only thing they managed to get right was smuggling guns and explosives in; and that's worked out only because one of them was a guard employed by the bank.

No, the three had to be a dead end; a perfect decoy, which the King of Thieves somehow set up for himself. That would imply one of the group of sightseeing tourists was him; or her, of course, Izaya shouldn't forget that. It could be a 'she'. If the King wanted to steal the ruby by simply breaking into the vault, why would he need other people there? He'd come at night, when it's safer.

But, would he, really? Other people meant commotion, meant chaos and many blind spots created for the cameras. Guided tours meant guards at every entrance, but bored guards. And boredom... Boredom as such would be good for the thief. And while being one of the group of tourists would be a more convenient option, the King of Thieves was very cautious; he would have known the police would search everyone on their way out, he would have known the ruby this size and shape would be quite easy to find. If he _was_ one of the people from the tour, he would be acting more on luck than anything else. Someone as smart as this thief couldn't just count on the policemen to be neglectant. Would he, or wouldn't he risk drawing attention to himself like that?

Izaya closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose in concentration. They needed to gather detail on the people present in the room during the theft, and bring them in for questioning. He was outraged when he found out police had just let them go; even if they _were_ threatened with guns and in state of shock, even if most of the policemen thought they had already caught both the culprits and the missing ruby, that was an enormous incompetency. If only they held them for few hours more…

...but then he would have never spent such an amazing night with Shizuo, would he.

"Shizuo…"

Izaya smiled fondly, liking how the name tasted on his tongue. Of course, he had to treat the blond like a potential suspect; he _was_ , in the end, in the group as well. He said so himself, and the raven could confirm that; that mop of blond hair was clearly noticeable on the tape, even if Shizuo was wearing a hat that covered most of his locks during the tour. The detective watched the tape a few times just to follow the blond's movements, and found nothing out of ordinary in them; no weird machinery that could be used to break the cabinet, no shady movements. True, he was behind the cabinet during the explosion, and Izaya couldn't determine how far he was from it, but it didn't look like he could even have time to do anything to the glass; everyone ducked, and then it simply shattered.

 _How_ did it shatter was yet another mystery.

Izaya groaned, hiding his face in his hands. This wasn't right. Mystery after mystery, and he was no closer to solving any of them. The King of Thieves truly was a king; not only he was an enigma himself, but even the means by which he got into the bank, stole the ruby and got out were simply incomprehensible. The raven-haired detective clenched his fists.

He will catch this thief; even if it was to be the last thing he would ever do.

...

Shizuo spent his day quietly; as he always did when he knew police was on his trail. He went on a walk, deciding it's impossible for Izaya to suspect him - if not at all, then at least hard enough to ask someone to spy on him. He stopped at a random pawnshop, and was soon enough telling a tears-inducing story about a girl who supposedly left him, taking everything from him, and he only had this diamond, or at least he hopes it's a diamond, left, and it's my grandmother's gem, sir, but the times are hard... The man in the shop must have been of empathetic kind, since he didn't even try to cheat him... too much. Shizuo knew the value of various jewels, and this man paid him almost an exact value of the diamond he came to sell.

This left Shizuo with an empty pocket and full wallet. The blond spent the rest of the day in his hotel room, reading and patiently waiting for the time to pass; to be honest, he wanted to call Izaya the moment he returned to the hotel, but the detective probably had his hands full at the moment; and the blond respected that. He was the cause, after all.

Hours passed; the sun has set over the busy city behind his window, and then, before he knew it, it came up again, exchanging the neon, colourful glow of Tokyo's night with grey, early sunlight. Shizuo laid down on his bed, naked, and stared at the ceiling. He thought about many things, but mostly, he thought about Izaya.

The raven was absolutely fantastic. The way he looked, they way he moved, the way he laughed and talked, it was all impossibly perfect. Shizuo wouldn't mind it at all if they started dating frequently; hell, he'd gladly move in with the detective if he knew it would definitely not be possible, not to mention, hardly acceptable after just one night together.

Which was exactly the problem. Izaya wasn't stupid. He was, in the end, the best detective in Tokyo, if not all the world. And Shizuo really, really didn't want to be caught. But how could he help himself from wanting to be with the detective? From wanting to spend more nights with him like that, from wanting to keep him for himself at all times?

The blond moved slowly, taking his own phone from under his pillow, along with a little piece of paper he had stolen from Izaya before; a bad habit of his. It was a plain business card; it had the raven's name on it, as well as his number and the words 'private detective' written in an elegant font. Shizuo looked at the clock; it was already morning. Izaya should be able to talk now.

The blond dialed carefully, hoping Izaya picks up calls from unknown numbers. He had a lie or two to feed the raven, as much as he almost hated the idea.

...

Izaya was still laying on the couch, very close to falling asleep when his phone buzzed, the little vibration massaging his chest where it laid. The raven blinked, staring at the number which he didn't remember seeing before; and his memory was very good, mind you.

"Hello..?"

"Hello, detective." on the other side of the receiver, Shizuo's voice was a purr, instantly making Izaya smile. "Am I a bother? Since I call you to confess... I am guilty of stealing respectively your lips, yourself and your number. In this exact order." The blond smirked cheekily. "And I was wondering what lawful consequences such theft has."

"I might just have to put you in handcuffs because of that~" The raven played along, letting his voice, too, become a seductive purr. Shizuo calling was more than unexpected for the detective, but he would lie if he were to say he minded that. Even if it meant he had to postpone his nap.

"Ah~ Kinky..." Shizuo grinned into the phone, taking Izaya's tone for a good sign. "But of course, how could I argue with Tokyo's finest.. Well then... I hope you'll be gentle with me, officer..." The last part was a whisper, and Shizuo couldn't help but snicker at the end of it, suspecting, and quite on spot, considering that this snicker was being mirrored on the other side of the phone.

Well. Time to get serious.

"Say, Izaya, since it doesn't let me rest... That blue ruby... Haven't the police caught these guys? I mean, I was there when they attacked, shouting at us not to move and all... Then that cabinet exploded, and police came in... Come to think of it, I never saw anyone there with that ruby, but I was kind of in a shock, and it was smoky. I don't know, it just seemed strange to me, so I decided to call the sexiest representative of law I know." Shizuo smiled at the last part.

"Ah...yeah, well.." Said sexy representative of law bit his lower lip, his hand coming up to brush through the raven hair. "I was going to call you later about that anyway, since I'll need a testimony of everyone who was there, even if I forgot to take your number. Thing is, the ruby's gone. The robbers you saw were not the real culprit; and my job is to find the real one. I can't really tell you more than that, and even this is going to be released to the public today evening, anyway. It's today already, right? I'm sorry, I haven't slept since our last meeting, I might be a bit slow."

"Oh..." Shizuo actually had the decency to sound apologetic. "I wish I could help... But yeah. I heard about this guided tours from a friend, and it was the last day... Remember?" the blond chuckled softly. "I was in such a hurry to make it and be able to see a miracle with my own eyes that I bumped into another miracle on the way. And the ruby... That guided tour around the bank was actually worth it. It was so beautiful; I didn't even realise a stone can have such a colour." Shizuo shook his head slowly. "But then our guide started screaming, and some other people, too, so we all ducked for the floor. There was this explosion, and suddenly I was getting tea from the police officers. Of course, they searched me and everyone else on our way out, but I never thought they didn't catch these guys..." Shizuo sighed into the receiver. "I'm sorry. I hoped I had some information that would be of value, but it seems I'm only bothering you."

Izaya kept silent throughout the blond's talk, taking the new information in. "Why would you think that? I'm glad you told me this. At this point, every small bit of information is something." The raven hummed, wondering why it felt like something about the way the blond spoke almost sounded fake. The case must have been messing with his head.

Shizuo's next words only assured the raven he was overthinking things.

"Hey, Izaya..." he whispered, and this time his words were sincere from the bottom of his heart. "...I'm glad I bumped into you on that street. And I'm glad I had at least enough sense to ask you out." The blond's smile grew bigger on the other side of the phone. "Let me know when you have time... I want to see you again. And I'm pretty sure someone was saying something about handcuffing me..." he purred the last part.

Izaya's face began to turn red, as his thoughts immediately went away from the case and into the gutter. "M-Mhm. I'm glad to have met you as well." The raven began to laugh, clasping a hand over his mouth. "I'll seriously handcuff you!" He chuckled.

"Oh, I can't wait." Shizuo smirked, looking wonderingly at the ceiling. "I was asking when you are free, since I am laying naked on my bed and don't know if I should bother dressing up, you know." the blond stated in a conversational tone, his hand smoothing down his toned chest. He imagined Izaya gulping to that, and he was right; the raven did swallow thickly, cursing his imagination.

"Shizuo, I'm trying to sleep here."

"Don't sleep there. Sleep here. Hell, I'll let you sleep _on me_."

"...are you serious?"

"Very."

Izaya blinked into the phone. Again. Insanity. Was the blond even serious? They were talking casually just a second ago, and now… Now he was falling again.

"But... I still have some work to do… And I'm really tired, I shouldn't..." He started weakly, only to be interrupted by yet another one of Shizuo's purrs.

"Good. I'll make sure your body is at least as exhausted as your mind, wrap you in the softest blankets I can find and take that little phone of yours away from you to let you sleep. Come on, detective, you need to relax. Don't make me beg you."

Izaya stared at the wall in front of him. He wasn't considering agreeing to the blond's invitation… or was he?

"Izaya…?"

"Is this really... a good time to come over..?" the raven finally answered, feeling his heart pound loudly in his ears. He could feel Shizuo grinning lightly into the phone.

"It depends... A good time was some time ago." The blond so obviously smirked. "Now I'm nearing the time of asking why aren't you here yet, detective." Shizuo faked a sigh, stretching his naked body on the silky sheets. "Hurry up and come, Izaya." he whispered seducingly. "Or I'll start the fun without you."

If the raven had any more doubts whether to agree or not, they were gone at this point. All that mattered at the moment was Shizuo's heated whisper, and the image being painted by Izaya's oh-so-creative mind.

"I'll be there in a minute. Stop being so damn impatient." he knew the blond was smirking right now. Hell, he had the right. Izaya was completely taken in by him, wasn't he.

"Don't forget these handcuffs, detective. I was being serious." he purred. The raven could only swallow thickly.

"I will _not_ forget them. See you in a few, Shizuo."

"See you, beautiful creature."

…

It really took but a few minutes.

Well. A couple of minutes, at least. Izaya had to take a very quick, very hot shower and get some clean clothes on himself, after all. But it took even less time than he thought it would, and then the raven was already running through the streets of Ikebukuro, like some high school girl late for a date, with his hair still damp, and a pair of handcuffs clinking in his pocket.

What was he doing? What the actual hell was he doing?!

It wasn't like Izaya was some sex addict. He had normal urges, like most men. From time to time he went for a few drinks to some decent bar and spent a night in some decent love hotel, with some decent partner for the night. He didn't mind them being men, women or whatever gender suffix was preferable; they were only this - means to satisfy his body and clear his mind, and he knew he was the same for them.

Izaya didn't mind. If anything, he considered himself aromantic. He never felt anything past simple urge, past simple pleasure, and satisfying these was enough for him. The detective wasn't one to come running the moment the other person called for him.

So what. The fuck. Was he doing right now?

The time it took him to get to the hotel was not enough to answer this, and many other questions, and Izaya decided he didn't even want an answer anymore. Right now, there was a sexy, hopefully still naked blond waiting for him on the eleventh floor; and he wasn't going to keep him waiting for much longer. With this resolve, the petite raven pushed the button in the elevator and waited for the door to open. When they did, he walked just a few, last steps, before finally stopping and knocking on the blond's door.

"Come in."

A quiet voice from the other side of the door made Izaya gulp in anticipation. If Shizuo didn't come to welcome him by the door, was he really..?

"...welcome back." came the blond's voice from the little bedroom area once the raven finally pushed the door open and went inside, locking them behind himself. "I missed you, detective."

Izaya didn't answer. He was busy staring.

Shizuo didn't lie when he told him he was waiting for the raven in nothing more than his birthday suit. But even Izaya's - lately, overly active - imagination didn't prepare him for the sight.

The blond was sprawled on the perfectly made-up bed, his soft, tanned skin positively shining in the subtle light of the room. His muscles flexed lightly as he adjusted his position; laying on his side, with head propped on one hand, hair slightly disheveled and legs crossed in such a way that actually not _all_ of his body was visible... Shizuo could easily pass for a model that way.

An extremely sexy model, posing for the kind of fancy magazines young millionaires spend their fortunes on, wishing they had a shot with the perfect man.

And Izaya had that shot. For free.

"Straight to business, hm~?" Shizuo smirked a little, letting the raven oogle all he wanted, and more than happy to see him practically drool at the sight of him. "Not even a kiss for 'hello'? Or would it be considered an act of bribery if I bought myself a few more minutes of freedom with giving you something of the like?" The blond finished his sentence with a wink, gesturing at the raven to come closer, to which he eagerly complied. Izaya walked over to the other, letting his hands fall out of his pockets before stopping just a few inches away from the bed, eyes slowly glazing over with lust.

"Well then, detective?"

"Bribery is a punishable crime, mister Heiwajima…" Izaya started, climbing on the bed with careful moves; all of his earlier musings and tiredness forgotten. "...but, without at least an attempt of it… It's not like I have anything to _punish_ you for…" he purred, stopping just for a moment to take off his coat and shoes which were up till now left on; he threw them somewhere behind himself, taking care to pull the handcuffs from his coat's pocket first. Shizuo watched all that with an amused expression; he raised his brow, and that bastard actually _waited_ with answering until Izaya took off his shirt, too.

"Ah… Then let me give you _something_ …" the blond whispered, and before Izaya could come up with a clever response of his own, his lips were already being stolen in a hot, wild kiss.

The raven moaned; he couldn't help himself, the feeling was too good. It was like a click, like something was just set right, and all the worries could be flung out of the window; all that mattered were Shizuo's hot lips against his own, his playful tongue tasting him and his curious hands, bringing Izaya closer, as the need grew impossibly strong.

Shizuo let out an appreciative groan, backing them until Izaya's back hit the bed. He was feeling it, too… And he was not going to let go.

"I want you..." He whispered hotly against thin lips, not letting the raven rest as he attacked him again, making Izaya drown in his breathless kisses.

What was he even doing? What, really? Shizuo shouldn't let himself get so close to the detective, he shouldn't want him so much. But Izaya was here, and the blond couldn't be bothered with these thoughts; what mattered was now. He can worry about the future later.

"I want you, too..." Izaya's voice was but a whisper, murmured back the moment he managed to free his lips for more than half a second. The raven rolled them over with surprising strength, slowly sliding his hands down the older male's body, enjoying the feeling of smooth skin under his fingers. He moved his lips slightly to the side, to nibble on the other's ear.

His behaviour, and changing their positions obviously surprised the blond, but it didn't stop him from caring. Shizuo moved his hand gently back, touching Izaya's rear through his jeans.

"Izaya, are you still sore?" he asked seriously, making the raven stop for a moment. There were countless ways they could do it other than that, and if Izaya was still hurting...

"I am. But…" Izaya shook his head lightly, before leaning back down to capture Shizuo's lips in a sweet and _very_ distracting kiss, taking advantage of the distraction to get the blond's hands together and handcuff them to the bedpost in quite an expertly move. Izaya smirked at the small yelp that pulled out of Shizuo, beginning to kiss and lick his way down his neck and chest, hands playing with the soft skin. "...it's not like it's going to be a problem."

The blond couldn't help but be surprised; this sudden dominance was quite unexpected, but very arousing. Still...

"Now, detective... The use of violence during arrest is punishable by law, isn't it?" he purred, flexing his muscles slightly under Izaya's touch. "And I was a good boy... I didn't even try to resist..." The blond tugged at the handcuffs lightly, checking their strength. They were surprisingly durable, the metal scrapping slightly at the skin on his wrists. He didn't mind. At all.

"It would be punishable, if you were to file in a complaint..." Izaya grinned as he looked up at the blond before pressing his lips to the other's nipples. The raven was experienced in having sex with another man; he very well knew what he was doing, and enjoyed Shizuo's little gasps and even low, quiet moans he received as a prize for his little licks. But it wasn't until the raven grew bored with the perked-now nubs that he went a bit lower with his kisses and sucks, finally licking at the blond's member. Shizuo closed his eyes, a long, wanton moan escaping his lips even though he tried his best to keep it quiet. He let out a whine, bucking his hips slightly, helplessly, craving more contact.

"...you're too good at this..." the blond breathed out. "T-tease… Ah!" Shizuo's head hit the pillow, his eyes wide open, pupils blown in pleasure. The blond could feel the metal of the handcuffs bite into his skin, but he couldn't care less. "Y-ah! You... d-devil..." Shizuo had troubles forming words. Izaya's thin lips, wrapping around him like that, his sucks, his goddamn tongue... It was almost too much.

"I'm glad you think so..." Izaya purred in response, bobbing his head up and down as fast as he possibly could, moaning slightly. He was honestly enjoying himself; the way Shizuo whimpered, the way he trembled helplessly under the raven's lips...

Izaya wasn't Shizuo's first; he has been both with men and women before, but it never felt this good. The blond was breathing heavily, his hips shaking as he felt his release nearing. Before he could as much as warn the other, Shizuo came with a cry of Izaya's name. His back arched and his body trembled once again before falling limply on the bed. There was a slight, uncomfortable feeling in his wrists, and Shizuo realised the handcuffs broke his skin from all the trashing, drawing out a few drops of blood. Honestly... The blond didn't mind.

Izaya, at first, didn't seem to notice. He was too drunk with pleasure and the power he had over the blond as he lifted his head up and swallowed before moving up to press his lips the other male's, making him taste his own cum. Shizuo shuddered once more. He hated the taste, but somehow Izaya doing what he did was too erotic for him to mind. A moment later, though, when the raven's crimson eyes noticed the broken skin…

"Does it hurt...?" Izaya whispered with a guilty note in his voice; he didn't exactly plan on hurting the blond in any way.

"A- a little… Don't worry about it." Shizuo mumbled. What was this feeling, the blond wondered? He felt so... Overpowered, but it felt so good...

The raven licked the blood away with an apologetic smile, pulling him away from his thoughts.

"Do you think you could stay in these handcuffs for a bit more?" He whispered. As the blond nodded, he slowly moved his finger up to his own mouth, licking it slightly before gently pressing it to the other's entrance, eventually pushing inside.

Shizuo cried out at the feeling, trashing under the raven uncontrollably. Oh no... He has never given himself to anyone... But for some reason, a reason Shizuo was too scared to name, he couldn't bring himself to push Izaya away, or as much as tell him to stop. The blond only closed his eyes, hiding his flushed-red face behind his bound arms. His whole body trembled, slowly adjusting to the feeling of Izaya's finger inside of him. The raven's eyes softened as he noticed this.

"Hey...I'll be gentle..." He murmured, kissing around the other's stomach, trying to calm the blond down. Somehow, he hated seeing him like this.

"D-don't... Leave your gentleness for women." Shizuo took in a shaky breath. The feeling was foreign, but he didn't hate it. He opened his eyes, looking heatedly at the raven. "If you're going to fuck me, then do so." The blond clenched his teeth, letting out a soft moan. He didn't want that... Why was Izaya so sweet? If he won't be careful, Shizuo will end up doing something stupid… Like growing attached to the raven...

What he didn't realise, though, was that this thought was quite belated, since he was already falling.

"Shizu-chan…" the nickname felt sweet, and _right_ on Izaya's tongue. "I don't want to hurt you." The detective stated before pushing a second finger in; just as gently, just as carefully.

Shizuo wanted to say something to it, but he couldn't, as all that slipped through his lips were helpless gasps and little, quiet moans. The blond was so very sensitive from his previous orgasm, he not only could feel himself hardening again from Izaya's touch; he actually felt that he was going to come soon if the raven won't hurry up. Shizuo tugged at his bounds, the handcuffs biting deeper into his skin, as he tried to control himself. "I-Izaya... Please... I-inside..." He whispered, face completely red as he spoke.

Izaya nodded as he took the fingers out, slipping his pants and boxers finally down. The raven looked at the figure in front of him for a moment, before slowly pushing himself inside, letting out a quiet moan just from the pleasurable feeling. "S-Shizu-chan..."

Shizuo, however, did not answer.

It hurt. It hurt a lot, actually, but the blond couldn't help but find the pain pleasurable. Did that even make sense? He guessed this was the feeling all these people that partnered with him liked; the feeling of being absolutely overpowered, the feeling of belonging, of giving himself up, of complete surrender. It was actually strangely freeing.

Shizuo moaned quietly, too far gone to care anymore. All he knew was the pleasure he felt, and he wanted more. "M-move..." he whispered, feeling his eyes tear up. The blond gasped softly as he slowly relaxed around the raven's length inside of himself. "Izaya, I... ha... I won't last... long..."

Izaya nodded in understanding. He began to move, not too slow, but not too fast. His hands gripped onto Shizuo's hips as he leaned down, licking away Shizuo's tears. "N..Neither will I." He whispered as he picked up pace; trying his best not to hurt the other.

Shizuo let out little moans and gasps, closing his eyes sharply. This was too much for him, as his hips raised to meet Izaya's thrusts, wanting the raven deeper, wanting him all. "F-faster!" he cried out, his back arching with detective's every move. The blond couldn't help himself anymore. He felt his orgasm nearing as he rocked with Izaya's moves, moaning out his name like a mantra.

Izaya rammed into the blond as fast as he could, panting just as heavily as Shizuo, feeling just as drunk with pleasure and sheer power he had over the handsome man. He could tell that he was getting close to the edge, so he tried to make this as pleasurable as possible.

It took just a one hit on Shizuo's sweet spot for the blond to come with a scream, arching his back and tightening around the raven; and with that, Izaya came deep inside of the blond with a loud, wanton moan. Shizuo shuddered violently as he tried to calm himself down, his breathing heavy and his wrists aching. The blond could feel a trickle of something that could've only been blood run down his arms, and he looked up, only to see his wrists scraped raw by the metal.

"S-Shit.." Izaya whispered, noticing it, too. The raven breathed deeply before slowly, carefully pulling away and grabbing his coat, pulling the key out of its pocket. He unlocked the handcuffs quickly, and took the blond's hands in his, eyes filled with worry. "I'm sorry..."

Shizuo whimpered softly, coming down from his high enough to start to think. "...come here..." He whispered, pulling Izaya close against his chest, kissing his lips slowly. "It's fine... I don't mind." The blond smirked lightly. "Seems like… the original handcuffs don't work well as a sex toy, huh?"

"Don't joke about it… I hurt you, even though I promised I won't." the raven was obviously dissatisfied with the outcome, even though the mindblowing sex they just had almost felt worth it; and it seemed Shizuo thought so, too. The blond leaned in, kissing Izaya again.

"I said it's fine… If this is the price for you devouring me like that, then I really don't mind. Besides…" Shizuo smirked lightly. "...with these wounds, I can sue you for violence towards a convict... And it will be my turn to arrest you next time." The blond's last words were a purr.

Izaya tried; he really did; to not smile. But he failed, and thus decided to simply join Shizuo's play. "Then I better be a good boy, huh?~" The raven buried his face into the blond's chest, feeling oddly safe in his arms.

Shizuo only wrapped them tighter around the raven, kissing his head. "You sexy devil, you're incapable of being good..." He whispered with a little smirk, before closing his eyes. It felt so good, just laying there with Izaya in his arms, flushed and spent.

"...I'm exhausted." the detective murmured.

"...and I'm sticky. You know that in some cultures coming inside of your partner is a grave offence?" The blond faked a sigh. "I need a shower:.. And possibly a first aid kit."


	5. Of Shower Musings and Sleepy Cuddles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter might be considered a bit OOC mainly for Izaya, but it is my own personal take on how would he act in a situation just after mindblowing sex and more than 48 hours of not-sleeping ;) Also, this chapter contains such high doses of fluff it might cause diabetes. Proceed with caution.

Shizuo closed his eyes, letting the water engulf him completely.

He was, at the moment, standing in the shower; his body, naked and relaxing slowly under the steady current of water, seemed somewhat strained, tense. The blond moved his hands down the smooth skin and to his rear, spreading himself gently and clenching his teeth in disgust when he felt something else; something thicker than water; run down his legs.

Disgusting.

The blond sighed, reaching blindly for one of the many bottles of various shower gels, shampoos and conditioners, and found his favourite, strawberry scented set. His tanned body was quickly covered in bubbly soap, and the pleasant smell hit his nostrils, making the blond smile.

Shizuo liked living in a hotel. There were many perks to it; someone to clean his room, a nice view, wonderful food just a phone call away, the air of luxury… But at that moment, he decided he loved this particular hotel for creating a bathroom that let him lean comfortably on a marble bench while enjoying a relaxing, strawberry-scented moment in the shower.

However, every wonderful moment had to come to an end, sooner or later. And, as the blond finally rinsed the soap from his body and stepped out of the spacious shower, wrapping a soft, fluffy towel around his hips, the thoughts that were threatening to flood his mind from the moment he left the already half-asleep detective curled up on the bed finally came.

Namely…

_What the hell am I doing?_

Shizuo hated being the bottom. Hell, he never let anyone take him like that. Ah, and the handcuffs... It felt quite ironic for Izaya to tie him up so easily. If only he knew... But the handcuffs themselves were a problem. They marked him, these thin cuts on his wrists spoke of belonging, of how he gave himself up. The blond looked in the mirror, at his naked body, at his dripping hair and satisfied, bright eyes. He hated every second of what just happened between him and the raven detective… He hated all of it… right?

...no…

And that was the worst part.

"What the hell… Am I even doing...?" He whispered to his reflexion, pressing one hand against the cold surface of the mirror.

It was bad enough he was screwing with the very detective who hunted him on daily basis. That alone would grant him an earful from both Vorona and Tom, not to mention weeks of them both whining about how reckless and irresponsible Shizuo was. But now… Now he started to develop some kind of confusing feelings for the raven?

He was so screwed.

Oh, of course, it could have been just the case of Shizuo enjoying letting Izaya take him like that purely on a sexual basis. That wouldn't be anything weird, after all; men were simply built that way so that they could enjoy sex in both configurations. Except, this was not the case. The blond knew himself well enough to realise he would have never enjoyed… hell, he would have never _agreed_ to let anyone fuck him if he didn't hold that person even remotely dear. It was a matter of trust here.

_Do I really… trust Izaya? Do I really… grew this fond of him?_

Shizuo stared at his reflexion again, as if waiting for an answer; however, his mirror self simply stared back.

The blond walked, still naked, his hair dripping wet, back into his room. He found Izaya where he left him; curled on the bed like a cat, one of the white sheets strewn carelessly over his hipbones, leaving all the rest of porcelain skin for Shizuo to view. He appreciated it. Greatly. The blond sat down quietly on the side of the bed, looking at the raven's face. His eyes were closed, hair disheveled and damp with sweat on his forehead. Shizuo smiled, running his fingers through the soft strands, wondering at the same time about just how long Izaya's eyelashes were. They left a shadow on his pale cheeks, emphasizing the raven's ephemeral beauty.

The raven smiled softly, opening one eye; just slightly, just enough to gaze up at the blond. "You took your time…" he murmured. Shizuo answered with a smile of his own.

"...why aren't you sleeping?"

Izaya yawned sweetly and rolled on the bed, moving his petite figure closer to the blond. "...wanted to wait for you…" he murmured, circling his arms sleepily around Shizuo's waist. "Come to bed… I'm really tired."

Shizuo didn't move, but his mind reeled with resignation.

How could he not feel fond of this adorable creature?!

"In a minute… I need to take care of these."

"Ah..." Izaya opened his eyes fully, taking Shizuo's hands in his. The cuts on the blond's wrists were shallow; the raven doubted they would scar, but still, a thin patch of skin around each hand was scraped raw and still bleeding a bit. Izaya felt a distinct pang of guilt at the sight. "...I'll help you. It'll be easier that way." He reached for the first aid kit that Shizuo brought with himself into the room and took out several of its contents, laying them beside himself. He reached for disinfectant first and started dabbing gently at the cuts, flinching himself when he saw Shizuo grimace lightly. "...I'm sorry... Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't... Don't worry." Shizuo smiled reassuringly at the raven, a soft look in his eyes. "I have... You could say I'm a bit different from other people. I don't feel pain the way you do... Or rather, I feel it, but I don't mind it that much. Thick skin, you can say."

"...I see." He nodded and grabbed the roll of bandages, beginning to wrap them around the other's wrists. "So...if someone were to hit you in the back of the head with a pipe, you wouldn't feeling anything..?" Izaya asked with a little smile, while wrapping the other wrist up.

"It's not like that." Shizuo shook his head. "It would hurt, but not as much as it would hurt that pretty head of yours. And I wouldn't die from it; if the past indicates anything, the pipe would probably break." Shizuo laughed lightly.

"That... Interesting." Izaya somehow felt this was important; something in his mind was nagging him that he was wondering of something similar concerning the case sometime, somehow... But the raven was tired, and his mind hazy, and he really couldn't be bothered with the case at the moment. Izaya yawned sweetly, before patting the older male's wrists. "I'm done... You're all better now." He murmured, closing the kit, setting it on the nightstand and laying back down on the bed. "...come here..."

"With pleasure... And thank you." Shizuo leaned in, kissing Izaya's lips. He laid down, pulling the raven close to his chest. His hand came up, stroking Izaya's skin in a gentle caress, his lips resting against the other's shoulder. "Say, Izaya... You don't... I don't know. Regret... Spending the night with me?" He murmured after a while. "It won't give you troubles at work, right?"

The raven shook his head. "No, silly... I wouldn't be here if I couldn't afford that." He smiled lightly. "Besides, you were right... I needed to relax. I'm getting a bit stressed lately..."

What Izaya just said was an understatement, but he simply closed his eyes, enjoying this moment between the two of them. "Besides, it's nothing for you to worry about. I don't want to bother you with my job." Truth was, he was getting fed up with everything. The constant nagging from Namie, the police force bitching at his methods, lack of any clues whatsoever and the fact that he was still chasing the thief whose identity was just as much of a secret as it has been since the moment he took the case on... It was ruining his health. Having whatever relationship the two of them had actually helped, if just a bit. Helped to take his mind off the case for a little while, at least.

"You don't bother me..." Shizuo kissed the side of the raven's neck, closing his eyes as well. He saw Izaya was being stressed out. He saw his irritated looks at the phone, he saw how tense his petite body has been, and he felt guilty for all of this, because it was, everything, his own damn fault. But what could he do, really? Let Izaya catch him, and lock him in prison together with murderers and rapists? No way. Suddenly, an insane idea flashed through Shizuo's head. It was crazy. It could never work. But... the blond felt his heart tighten, and he knew it was because of the detective in his arms. He knew it for some time... And as much as the idea sounded insane, he decided he'll take the risk.

"Izaya..." he whispered, tasting the name on his lips. "Will you go out with me? I don't mean... This, whatever the hell this is. I don't mean meeting up to have sex, as much as I like having sex with you quite a bit. I mean... Going on dates, all that stuff. Being together. So... What would you say?"

Izaya was already half-asleep, but the blond's words woke him up in an instant, his heart beginning to pound in his chest. A relationship with Shizuo...a real relationship. The raven looked over to the blond for a moment. He wasn't one for relationships. He never was in any serious one, it was always just sex, convenience, eventual flirting and teasing... But...

"I... Want to try. I wouldn't mind us... going out." Izaya finally answered, a little blush staining his cheeks; and, to the raven's surprise, Shizuo blushed as well.

The blond smiled softly down at the raven, leaning in to kiss him sweetly on the lips. He felt his heart tighten at the look Izaya flashed him, and he couldn't help but feel amazed. They found each other by sheer accident, they were enemies even though the raven was oblivious to it... And they were going to go out together. How did that happen? "Okay..." Shizuo murmured, closing his eyes again and resting his head on the pillow, so that their foreheads touched and they noses brushed together. "Well then... It seems I'll be prolonging my stay in Ikebukuro... I have to find myself a cheaper hotel, or maybe some room..."

_Vorona is absolutely going to kill me._

The blond pressed Izaya even closer to himself, enjoying his warmth. "...stay for a bit longer." he whispered. "At least to sleep it off."

"I'll stay." The raven closed his eyes, curling up against Shizuo. Izaya decided to worry about everything… later. Right now, he was warm, his muscles pleasantly tired, his head resting against Shizuo's chest, the blond's strong heartbeat drumming in his ear. Right now, he was safe, content, and very, very sleepy… And no worries in the world could dim the feeling.

And as the two drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, there was no care between them; and even in their dreams, they were together, curled up in the safe darkness of the room

...

Hours passed; morning turned into afternoon and then into early evening, and both of them were still sleeping, buried deep in the covers. Once or twice, an accidental ray of light slid softly down white, silky sheets, caressing a patch of skin; either porcelain-pale or tanned; but all in all, the day went by with no disturbance, as if the world itself decided the detective and the thief, the hunter and his prey needed some peace to rest and gather their thoughts.

It was past six o'clock in the evening when Shizuo finally woke up, pulling that wonderfully warm being in his arms a bit closer to himself, and smiling broadly when he heard a contented purr in return and realised that, indeed, Izaya stayed and was still fast asleep in his arms.

A soft buzzing broke the silence of the room; it wasn't the first time it did, but the sound was so soft it was far from enough to wake them up on its own.

_Someone's trying to call him… Might be bad if they start a nationwide search for the famous detective, huh…_

Shizuo thought that, but another look at Izaya's sleepy face rendered him completely unable to wake the raven up. The dark circles under the detective's eyes lightened, but were still there, and his breathing was so soft, and whole figure curled up into Shizuo's chest so sweetly he just couldn't bring himself to disturb him.

_Oh, what the hell. If he gets angry, I'll pretend I was sleeping, too._

Seconds ticked away on the clock, steadily turning into minutes, and then into hours. Izaya was still sleeping; the only movement the raven was making was to occasionally snuggle even closer to the blond. Shizuo didn't notice the time passing; he was in a somewhat half-asleep state, studying Izaya's face, caressing his soft hair, trailing his fingers over the raven's beautiful features. It lasted until the blond realised he could hardly see the detective anymore, it was so dark, and both of their stomachs growled loudly, making Izaya's face contort in a cute, little frown. Shizuo smiled, leaning in to kiss these thin, slightly parted lips, feeling them move in time with his own after a while.

"Hello, detective..." He whispered, pulling back only to stare fondly into Izaya's sleepy, crimson eyes. The raven blinked softly, in slight confusion, only for this look to turn into recognition, and then a very, very pleased understanding.

"Hello... Shizu-chan..." He murmured, shifting his body so that he was laying even more on the blond's chest.

"...that's a nice nickname." Shizuo chuckled. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mhm... I feel so nice... I haven't slept this good in ages." The raven purred, nuzzling Shizuo's neck to the blond's amusement. It turned out sleepy Izaya was even more adorable than the proud, awake one. The detective stilled after a second, perking his head up to look at Shizuo with a slight frown, finally realising how dark it was. "...Shizu-chan... How long was I asleep?"

"About eleven hours... It's half past nine."

"...did my phone ring a lot?"

"I lost count after the tenth time."

"...fuck."

Shizuo laughed softly at that.

"Come on. You needed that. Though right now... Maybe you should start getting up, detective..." He purred, and, despite his words, turned them so that Izaya was laying completely on his chest; the blond's hands moved to the raven's back, massaging the soft skin there. Izaya looked like he wanted to protest for about ten seconds, but then his body melted against Shizuo's touch, only soft, delighted purrs leaving his lips.

"Mmmm... I'm... So making you... Give me massages... Every time we meet up..." He murmured softly, closing his eyes yet again. Shizuo smiled at that.

"Whenever you wish. So, Izaya... Weren't you supposed to get up?" Izaya whined at his words.

"Are you even serious? Right now? I'm not moving."

"Lazyass..."

"Hm? What was that? Do you have anything against my ass?" The raven opened one eye, sending Shizuo a playful glare.

"Why, on the contrary. It's a very sexy ass; but lazy nonetheless." The blond let his hands fall off Izaya's back, and leaned in to kiss his head. "But as much as I would love you to stay all the way until the morning, you really should get up."

...

[Hello, beautiful. Just writing to ask if you got home safely.]

Izaya had arrived home some time ago, safely indeed, and was in the middle of a talk with Namie (or actually, in the middle of her yelling at him for disappearing like that) when his cell phone buzzed, and his eyes were graced with the short message. Izaya couldn't help a little smile make its way on his lips.

[I did arrive home safely. Do you really think I couldn't take care of myself?]

He quickly texted back, and raised his eyes from the phone to meet Namie's ice-cold glare.

Why was this woman his secretary, it baffled even the detective himself. Granted, it was enjoyable to see how she absolutely despised the cases they were working on, him, following orders, hell, everything that was included in her job description. But still, seeing someone who looked like their biggest dream was to stab you on a daily basis wasn't exactly healthy.

"...what are you smiling stupidly for?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Izaya sighed.

"This is my private business, Namie-san. I would appreciate if you could stay away from it."

"So that blond guy and you _are_ shagging. And you're the bottom, judging from that hickey." These words, said in a cold, disinterested voice, almost made the raven sputter in surprise. Damn this woman was quick! "Well…" she continued. "Your poor taste in bed partners is not my concern…"

"...says the woman who only wanted this job because she wants to keep an eye on her little brother…"

"...as long as it does not affect your work, making it more pain for me to clean the mess afterwards. It won't affect your work, right?" Izaya rolled his eyes, only to be interrupted by another buzz.

[I'm glad then. Ah, but isn't it /boyfriend's/ duty to check if his sweatheart got home safely? Hey, beautiful creature, when are we meeting again? I miss you.]

Izaya almost chuckled at the blond's flirting. Almost.

[I just left your bed, Shizu-chan.]

He wrote quickly, smiling to himself even wider, and going through the dates in his mind, seeking one on which he was free enough so they could go out.

" _Izaya_."

The detective blinked up at his secretary and frowned slightly, letting out a sigh. "He is not, in any way, connected to my work, Namie-san. And last time I checked, I did not need a babysitter, so would you kindly leave the topic?"

The face his secretary made clearly stated she had a rather different opinion on that matter, but the raven could care less. Sitting by his desk and cracking his fingers, he decided that, after such a wonderful, relaxing day and more than enough sleep to keep him going for a while, he was ready to catch the King of Thieves.

[You did, and I already miss you.]

...in a second.

[I will be busy for the next few days.]

[Now that is unfortunate. Though I have to leave Tokyo for a few days myself… ~( ´•︵•` )~]

Izaya this time legitimately chuckled at the emoji.

[Are you serious with that face? Very well, no, that's not unfortunate at all. It's even better. When you'll be back?]

[(￣︶￣) of course I'm serious! Hm, I was going to go later, but if you're working, I'll probably go tomorrow… And come back in a week or so.]

[That's perfect.]

[(⊙︿⊙✿) ...no emoji for me?]

[(^‿^✿)]

[...you're so cute.]

[SHUT UP!]

[Hahaha. Ok, I'll let you know when I'll get back. I owe you a date, remember?]

[...I remember.]

[I'll miss you, my beautiful detective.]

[I'll miss you, too.]


	6. Of First Dates and Escape Plans

It's been a week since they spent the night at the hotel; and as much as Shizuo Heiwajima did not want to admit it, he felt almost upset about not being able to see the beautiful detective he became enchanted by for the last few days.

Granted, they texted a lot. The blond would send few texts to Izaya throughout every day they were apart, and Izaya would send him one when he was free from work (happened once) or had a break (happened a few times) long enough so that Shizuo was able to call him. They didn't talk about any important stuff; if anything, these talks were _perfectly_ casual. But they carried with them a somehow homely, sweet feeling. It was simply so nice to tell someone about your day, how were you feeling, what did you eat and which book you are reading, what did the man on the sidewalk said when you bumped with them by accident and why was he an idiot.

It was such a little, little thing, these talks. And yet, it felt so precious.

Shizuo spent the week back in his little home away from Tokyo. It was a cozy, homely place; needless to say, the blond didn't visit it often. It was also a place to which his two closest friends and co-workers had full access; and with Tom and Varona there, it couldn't be any more perfect; especially since Kasuka paid him a visit at the time, too.

If only they wouldn't be so busy yelling at him and let him clear his thoughts in peace.

Varona was probably the one who had the biggest problem with the fact Shizuo was in an official relationship with the best detective in Japan, not to mention, the very detective who was on his very tail. But the blond did realise her reaction wasn't dictated entirely by the fact of their clashing occupations; his foreign friend was more than aware of the fact Shizuo knew how to take care of himself. No; what she disliked the most, but would have never said, was the simple fact Shizuo found someone he liked having around; and already started to develop feelings for.

Tom took the matter much calmer. He didn't even yell at him that much; no, instead, Shizuo was subjected to a long, exhausting discussion whether or not he realised all the risks and thought everything through. After that, all his senpai could do was shrug and let out a sigh. He knew the blond would do whatever he wished to no matter what his friends would have said, so he skipped the rage and went straight for acceptance.

Kasuka did not say a word about that. In fact, he seemed rather pleased his brother found someone he liked. The police? He wasn't worried, at least not that much. Shizuo knew how to take care of himself, and Shishizaki taught him well.

All in all, it was a pleasant stay; the blond was happy to rest, and even if he didn't exactly plan ahead as of what was he supposed to do and how to act from now on, he was at least sure of one thing.

He didn't want to end this relationship he had with Izaya. Not for the time being, at least.

...

" _Why do you have to get this close to the railing?"_

_Shizuo turned his head, looking at the tall, dark-haired man that stood few steps behind him, looking worriedly at the railing and, consequently, at the more than a hundred meters of thin air behind it. The man gulped, and Shizuo smiled with the superiority of a twelve-year-old he was. The smile, as he decided later, was a wrong move, and resulted in a sore ear._

_The man who just tugged him back to the centre of the roof was way taller than himself; then again, Shizuo was only a boy. The dark-haired male wore glasses, had a nice but forgettable face and an air of complete and utter mediocrity. People tended to forget how he looked like five minutes after they met him; they saw glasses, saw clothes, but the face somehow slipped their mind. He was an almost painfully average person._

_Shizuo knew by now there was nothing more wrong than calling this man 'average'._

" _I've never been on a rooftop that's so high, sensei." He knew his name, of course. Shishizaki didn't exactly hide it from him; Shizuo, however, was forbidden to use it in public; or anywhere except one or two places the man told him about. The boy respected that. He would have gladly called him 'master' or 'king' even, if that was the price for Kasuka - and himself, in fact - finally having a normal, tiny apartment to live in, food every day, even clean clothes! There was a time Shizuo would agree to kill half the Tokyo for a heaven like that. Calling some man 'sensei' was hardly a problem._

" _Roofs are usually safe places. Remember that. Of course, there are roofs with gardens, even pools on them; these are potentially guarded or monitored. But on a roof where there's nothing except ventilation and water tanks, this is hardly ever a problem. Consequently, rooftop is the last place someone would try to find you."_

" _Yes, sensei."_

" _Don't 'yes, sensei' me. Repeat."_

" _Rich people's roofs with plants and whatnot are not good. Rooftops with nothing there are good. Higher, better, good hideout."_

" _Why is the higher, the better?"_

" _Because if that's the last place someone will look for us, then it means they'll search the whole building before coming to the rooftop. If the building's high, that gives us more time to think of something and escape."_

" _Good answer. Well then? Where do you hide after committing the robbery?"_

_Shizuo stared at the man and tilted his head. Didn't Shishizaki himself just said that?_

" _Well… if we have to hide in the place we did steal from… We go to the roof?"_

" _Why?"_

" _Because… that's the last place they're going to search?"_

" _Stupid answer. Wrong, of course. We're not hiding in the last place they're going to search; the last place they're going to search is a good place for a hideout for a second or two, to organise your things, think of a plan. But that'd mean you didn't have a plan while committing the theft, and that's just sloppy. No…" Shishizaki smiled lightly. "Where we do want to hide is not the place they'll search last… It's the place they won't search at all. We'll be hiding right under their noses, in plain daylight… And nobody would even realise we're there…"_

" _But you just said…"_

" _I want to teach you thinking, not just listening and repeating, brat. If I wanted that, I'd have bought myself a parrot. Now from the start…"_

…

"I demand your awakening, Shizuo-senpai."

Vorona's robotic voice was hardly a nice thing to wake up to. Even less nice was the fact she immediately opened the sliding door in his room that led to the little patio, flooding the space with light. Bright light.

Really, it was a good thing the blond enjoyed the company of his beautiful, Russian kouhai.

"Vorona, be a human, let me sleep for a minute longer…" he whined nonetheless, rolling with his futon, burying himself even further inside of the soft pile of material. The blond girl just sighed irritatedly.

"Negative."

There was a silent murmur coming from under the blankets, and then an even smaller buzz from beside the pile, and Shizuo's hand shot out to grab his phone and bring it under the futon with him. The blond's sleepy, honey eyes brightened when he saw the message; two messages, in fact.

[I need a break]

No hello, no how are you, no I missed you. That was fine. Because the words he got instead were even better… and the next message…

[_(-ω-`_)]

Shizuo giggled.

"Vorona… I'm waking up. Also, can you do me a favour and buy me a Shinkansen ticket for Tokyo for the next few hours? I want to be there in the evening."

"...for _that_ man?" Shizuo sighed.

"No, the ticket's for me."

"Shizuo…"

"Please?"

She huffed and left, closing the door with as much of a slam as sliding ones could give. The blond sighed once again before smiling, picking up his phone for the second time.

[Then I'm stealing you from work for a whole evening, beautiful one ]

[Please do. You promised me a date, remember?]

[I remember, but whoa, is it that bad? I'm guessing you didn't catch the guy yet?]

[I'm starting to think there's nobody to catch. You know what? After I do catch this guy, I'm going to put him in a cell and forbid him to sleep for a week so he knows how that feels. Every single clue leads to a dead end. He just as well could be sitting in the room beside me and laugh me in the face every time he sees me.]

Shizuo stared for a moment at the surprisingly long text, feeling a pang of guilt in his heart.

[...well then at least I'll make sure you had enough sleep tonight. What time can I pick you up?]

[I thought you're out of Tokyo.]

[I am. I'm buying a ticket for Nozomi like, now.]

[...you're insane.]

[Yup and you love that in me ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ]

[Oh, shut up. I'll be free around six?]

[Six it is, then. See you, my beautiful detective.]

[See you]

...

And so, despite his friends' reluctance, with his wallet full with cashed diamonds, and with refreshed mind, few hours later Shizuo was making himself at home back in his hotel room.

...or not his hotel room. He had to - for the sake of keeping his believably respectable income status in front of Izaya - move to a little apartment he rented for a few months. Still, it was on the top floor in the centre of Tokyo, and even had its own cleaning lady. Shizuo could live with that.

They agreed earlier that the raven would come pick him up instead of Shizuo driving to his place. They both still had to finish some work, and the blond suspected Izaya wasn't overly fond of the idea of letting him know his address just like that. The detective insisted on coming over instead, and Shizuo knew better than to argue. After all, it wasn't like it was an inconvenience for him; if anything, this was even better, as his place was closer to where he planned on taking them this evening.

When he heard a knock on the door, the blond looked into the mirror one more time. It wasn't a bad sight; his tight jeans and elegant, long-sleeved shirt he left without tie and with few buttons off to reveal his collarbones turned out to be more than a favourable choice of clothing. Shizuo smirked lightly, before walking to the door, leaning on them as they opened. He looked down at Izaya standing there with contented eyes. "Hello, beautiful," he purred. "I missed you."

For the raven detective, the past week was hell.

Usually, he loved his job. He enjoyed watching his humans, he enjoyed being paid to dig up the information from the most perfect net of informants he had designed himself, he loved the fact that he was expected, and praised for, finding out what made his beloved humans tick and made it so that they weren't ticking on their own accord for much longer after meeting him. Izaya loved being the manipulator, the puppeteer, pulling the strings behind the stage and watching the show he set into motion.

Which is why the one puppet he could not only understand, but even find, both fascinated and annoyed the hell out of him. Thanks god for Shizuo, really… If not for these rare distractions the blond provided, the detective would most probably be driven insane by now.

And so, as the door to Shizuo's new apartment opened, and he saw the blond for the first time in a while, Izaya's lips curled in a little smile on their own, and he could do nothing to stop them. "I missed you, too." He stated, trying his best for that to come out more as a snort than honest sentence it really was. "Although, it was only a few days. Not like we haven't seen each other for years." The raven let his little smile spread into an equally little grin. Yet the change wasn't only for the overall off-handedness; Izaya simple couldn't help himself from acting content as he looked the other up and down. Shizuo did look amazing at the moment, the detective had to force himself to tear his eyes away.

"Anyway, sorry for not dressing up...I feel comfortable in my usual clothing, and I think you said it was more of a casual date..?" For it to be casual, Izaya actually did dress up. He was wearing jeans, black ones, and a crimson V-neck with black jacket over it. Was it anyone else, such a choice would probably make them seem like a rebellious teenager, but Izaya looked simply stunning, his unusual eyes and the pallor of his skin perfectly brought out by the contrasts. Still, he did feel a bit bad, as it seemed Shizuo made an effort to choose smart clothes; come to think of it, they should certainly go on a formal date once in a while. Izaya really wanted to see the blond in a suit, or a tuxedo. He would look…

_I've got to stop doing that, damn it._

"What on earth are you talking about?" Shizuo only smiled wider, happily unaware of Izaya's inner dialogue concerning his choice of clothes. "If you look this tempting in what you call, usual clothing, then I think I should stop being jealous of everyone that looks at you... You're the one at fault here for being so gorgeous." The blond's smile turned to a smirk. He opened his door wider, to reveal his other hand. He held a crimson rose in it, which he reached in Izaya's direction with an elegant bow. "If you're ready, we can go... Let me just put on my coat."

"Compliments already? You might want to save some for later, so I won't get bored during our first date…" Izaya teased, before blushing softly at the whole scene. His heart sped up at the sight of the rose, and an elegant bow, and he knew it, and gods, gods, this _should not_ get to him as much as it did. "...yeah, I am ready to go."

"You're too modest, detective. I don't think I'm in danger of running out of compliments to tell you." the blond actually fucking purred. "Keep looking at me like this, with these ruby-like eyes of yours, and you won't need your handcuffs to arrest me..."

Izaya's face started to turn red and he averted his gaze. "Let's just push that aside and go on our date, alright?"

"Ah, but this is such an interesting discussion... Since I'm obviously right." Shizuo laughed cheerfully, taking his coat from the hanger and pulling it over himself, wrapping his favourite, white scarf around his neck. It was soft and warm, and Shizuo absolutely loved it. Once done, the blond closed the door to his apartment and held Izaya's hand gently, leading him into the elevator and pushing a button with -1 on it. "Well then..." he started, as the elevator moved to take them to their level. "How's law doing, detective?"

Izaya let out a sigh, glad for a change of topic. Now it wasn't like he didn't enjoy the flirting. On the contrary, he did. Very much so.

Which was exactly the problem.

"Still nothing, but we're working on it. Hopefully, it won't take much longer. Look, let's not talk about work. This is supposed to be a break, remember?"

Shizuo played with the other's fingers absentmindedly when he heard the other's speak. "Sorry, just one more thing… You sure you have time for me then?" he asked softly, looking down at Izaya. "I don't want to interfere with your work..." they reached the basement floor, coming out in the garage.

Izaya shook his head and grabbed the blond's hand before pulling him into a kiss, "You're not going to interfere with my work. You're actually helping me rest." The raven said and let go of the blond before rubbing at his own forehead. As for Shizuo, he definitely wasn't going to complain. When the raven let go, the blond pulled him close again, letting his hands drop on Izaya's waist.

"Well then, if you have so much time for me..." he purred. "...why was that so quick?" Shizuo leaned in, stealing Izaya's breath away in a long, thorough kiss before finally taking his hand again and leading him into the garage, to where his car was parked. It was dark-blue and beautiful, but not of the most expensive kind. It did its work, and just that. The blond opened the door for Izaya, before sitting in the driver's seat, starting the engine, his usual, cheeky smirk playing on his face.

Once they were in the car, he stared out the window. It's weird how the two of them ended up where they were… it used to just sex, now they're dating.

"So..where are we going exactly..?"

Shizuo waited with answering the question until he drove them out of the garage. "I actually thought, for a moment, you're going to hate this idea; what with you being stressed by work and all of that. But I promise you'll like it." The blond kept quiet for the rest of the way. When they finally stopped, Shizuo opened the door for Izaya, helping him out and taking his hand once they were both standing on the sidewalk. "Come with me, my beautiful detective." the blond kissed Izaya's cheek sweetly, leading him to some building that looked half like an apartment building, and half like a shopping centre. Once there, they went via elevator to the seventh floor; and once the door of the elevator opened, suddenly it all turned dark, as if the light went out.

"Don't panic. It all goes as planned." Shizuo whispered, his hand that was up to now holding Izaya's moved to the other's waist, pulling him closer. And good thing he did, too; for the whole ride, which was not long, either, Izaya enjoyed the silence, but started getting some weird, case-related suspicions once they went out, and these got only stronger, almost paranoid as the elevator stopped and the light went out. The blond's touch and voice calmed him down, however, and the raven realised one, terrifying thing.

He trusted Shizuo.

Someone was beside them, and that someone lead them gently through something that felt like a corridor. Then there was a sound of door locking, and they were left alone, still in darkness.

"Okay. Now I have ten minutes to explain everything." Shizuo smiled, even though Izaya couldn't see it. "This is something like a game. A detective game, to be exact. It's called Escape. We are now locked in a little flat, which has only one way out. We have one hour to find all the clues that can lead us to find the key, and once we find the key, we can go out. Of course, we can also try to pick the lock, we can spend the hour kissing on the couch and watching TV, since having sex is strictly prohibited, but all in all... I thought you might like the idea. Also... Being the best detective in the country, I was wondering how long will it take you, if you had to cooperate with a regular guy like me. And, Izaya..." The blond's voice turned soft. "If you hate the idea, or just would rather do something more interesting, please tell me. I want it to be the best date you could ever imagine of having... I don't want anything less."

Izaya played his words over and over again in his head before nodding. "Sounds good." He smiled finally. It did sound rather interesting, but most of all, what the raven found the most charming was the obvious thought Shizuo put in organising that. They could just go to some restaurant, have a chat, and Izaya would probably return home vaguely relaxed. But in this game, he could play off all the stress he had piled up lately, he could remind himself that being a detective could be - and really was - fun. The raven smiled to himself once more, whipping out a cell phone. Well, the lights were still off, but he could start looking already, couldn't he? Nobody said that flashlights were prohibited, and he wanted to win this game.

"Ah-ah~" with one graceful movement, Shizuo pulled Izaya's cell phone out of his hand and put it in his pocket, kissing the raven for exchange. "No cell phones, no internet, just old, good fashioned looking. They will turn on the lamps in, hang on..." the blond pulled Izaya's cell phone once again and looked at the time before hiding it. "...three minutes. Which gives us three minutes to do whatever we want, and I want to kiss you." Shizuo smirked in the darkness of the room.

"Let's find out for how long we can hold our breaths, shall we?"

Izaya held back a groan, hating the fact that he couldn't use the cellphone; still, he liked the idea of kissing the other for three minutes. So he wrapped his arms around the blond's neck before pressing his lips against Shizuo's, kissing him deeply. They didn't exactly need any more words.

...

Exactly fifteen minutes later, they (Izaya) found the key and waltzed out of the apartment, getting a general applause and some souvenirs for setting an absolute record. Shizuo didn't mind. Or he wouldn't, if only Izaya would stop _teasing him._

"So, seems like even with _regular guy_ , I'm still the best detective around~" The raven smirked with a skip in his step. "I bet we could do it in less than ten minutes… If only Shizu-chan wouldn't mess up that chest…"

"Oi, I didn't mess up, you just found the next clue before I could open it."

"Well that only means I was ahead of you. Brains beats muscle, you know, Shizu-chan? Ah, can I have my phone back, please?" Izaya was practically singing, saying the last sentence with an adorable tilt of his head.

"...if you didn't get to that room first, I would have been... Oh, right." The blond stopped arguing, patting his pockets and taking out Izaya's phone. He did hate to lose so miserably, but at least Izaya was in a perfect mood. Shizuo smiled, holding the device so that the raven won't be able to take it. "But that is in exchange for an information, detective." he smiled, giving the other a little, sweet kiss. Izaya blinked.

"What kind of information..?"

"Where do you live, my beautiful?" Shizuo brushed Izaya's hair away from his eyes. "I want to give you a ride home."

"Ah. I live in Shinjuku.." the raven chuckled, his hesitancy whether to share his address with Shizuo or not completely gone. "If you can drive me to the train station, I can tell you how to go from there. And thanks~"

Shizuo just smiled at that. He slipped his hands in Izaya's pockets, sliding his phone in one of them while tangling their fingers together. The blond moved close to Izaya, just looking down at him with so much wonder in his eyes, as if he was looking at the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. This look alone was enough to steal Izaya's breath away. Suddenly, they both felt something cold fall on their cheeks, and they looked up, only to see the first, swirling snowflakes falling all around them from the night's sky. Shizuo smiled, looking back down at Izaya. On a sudden impulse, the blond tangled his soft scarf off of his neck and wrapped it carefully around Izaya's, kissing his nose once he was done. "Let's get inside the car..." he murmured softly, opening the door for the detective.

The raven pulled his hood up, bringing the scarf up to cover his nose and mouth. He shivered slightly to make the fact that he was cold absolutely clear; after all, this was totally the only reason why he just wrapped the blond's scarf all over his face and were breathing in his scent rather fondly. "...can we hurry? I'm not a big fan of being cold."

"Your will is my command."

Before they even properly closed the door, Shizuo's lips were on his and Izaya was once again left completely speechless, swept away by the blond's passion. How could this man, the man he knew for just a few days, really, have so much power over him already? The raven didn't know, nor did he want to find out; his thoughts were busy, or nonexistent, as Shizuo filled his whole being with heat and passion and _want_. It was as if they planned and rehearsed it before; how the blond remained seated on his place, how Izaya was suddenly straddling his lap, not having any memory of how he got there, how the detective's elegant fingers tangled up in Shizuo's soft hair, and how the thief was gripping his waist, curious hands sliding under the raven's shirt to roam the pale skin, elicting the softest purr from Izaya's throat.

"...we should stop…" the raven whispered against the blond's lips, before leaning in for more kisses, for more heat.

"...yeah… you're right, we should…" Shizuo answered when he got the chance, pulling Izaya closer to himself.

"Shizuo."

"Mhm?"

"Don't you dare stopping right now."


End file.
